Judy Garland's Wizard of Oz red slippers tipped to sell for £1.5m at auction

Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie, which were once stolen from a museum, are tipped to sell for £1.5million.

The red silk-heeled and sequined shoes were worn by a 17-year-old when she played Dorothy Gale in the classic 1939 They feature in the climactic scene when she clicks her heels to return home to Kansas. Judy’s name is also written on the inner lining.

The most prominent of five pairs used for filming, they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota, US, in 2005. The FBI recovered the shoes in 2018 and local Terry Martin admitted the theft last year.

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They were reunited with Australian owner Michael Shaw and have now emerged for sale from his collection, along with the Wicked Witch hat worn by Margaret Hamilton.

They will go under the hammer on December 7 at Heritage Auctions, of Dallas, US, with the hat opening at £77,000. Early bidding on the slippers is at £425,000, and boss Joe Maddalena said: “These items stand at the pinnacle of Hollywood history.”