Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz ruby ​​slippers are set to go under the hammer for £2million – after they were stolen by a gangster

The iconic red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film The Wizard of Oz have been put on display in London ahead of an international auction next month.

The magical footwear is expected to sell for more than £2 million when it goes under the hammer at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on December 7.

They are just one of the four surviving pairs of slippers from the 1939 Technicolor film.

The pair, on display at Heritage’s Mayfair showroom in London, were worn by Garland for most of the film, including three famous close-ups in which the Wicked Witch is shocked as she tries to touch them (one close-up). at the gates of Oz and the climactic scene in which Garland’s character, Dorothy, repeatedly says, “There’s no place like home.”

They are being sold by private collector Michael Shaw, a former child actor at MGM, and have an interesting backstory.

He loaned the slippers to the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005, but they were quickly stolen.

The pair, on display at Heritage’s Mayfair showroom in London, were worn by Garland for most of the film, including three famous close-ups

The slippers are pictured next to the original Wicked Witch of the West hat, complete with the original black tulle veil as worn by Margaret Hamilton in the film

Film stills from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. The magical red slippers are expected to sell for more than £2 million when they go under the hammer at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on December 7

They are just one of the four surviving pairs of slippers from the 1939 Technicolor film

It wasn’t until 2018 that the FBI finally found the famous memorabilia buried in a Tupperware box.

Terry Martin later admitted to the theft, saying he did so because he believed they were set with real rubies.

The 76-year-old was given a suspended sentence in January this year.

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, said: “The importance of Dorothy’s ruby ​​slippers cannot be overstated: they are the most important prop in Hollywood history.”

The slippers will be auctioned along with the black pointed hat worn by Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Other memorabilia from “The Wizard of Oz” will also be for sale, including Garland’s wigs, movie posters and photographs, as well as other items such as a wooden game board from “Jumanji,” starring Robin Williams.