Slipper-mania has yet to slow down following the record-breaking $32.5 million sale of the ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz."
A pair of ruby slippers produced for the 50th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" in 1989 sold for $104,000 at Julien’s Auctions on Thursday, crushing the pre-sale estimate of $5,000 to $7,000.
Though it might seem low when compared to the headlining auction last week, the six-figure result is a feat in its own right considering the pair is purely commemorative and known by very few.
The replica slippers were made by Western Costume Company, which used the original shoe mold to produce around 15 pairs, available for $5,000.
Costume designer and former Western Costume Company employee Antonio Martinez Garcia was one of the few to nab a pair, which remained in his possession until his family consigned them to this auction.
One of the other 15, including the same typed inscription, "No. The Wizard of Oz/Name Dorothy,” sold for $35,000 in 2013 at Bonham’s.
Another pair, produced for the MGM employee party on the 50th anniversary, lacking the level of detail as the Julien’s example, sold for $10,000 in 2023 at Heritage.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.