There are four remaining pairs of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland – two are on display in museums and the other two are owned by private collectors.
In 2005, one of the private collectors loaned their pair to the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota.
That summer, a man climbed through the museum’s window, smashed the slipper’s display case and stole the slippers, which were insured for around $1 million USD.
To find out more check out this episode of History Chicks on the LiSTNR app, episode ‘The Wizard of Oz’
The slippers remained missing for over a decade until an FBI sting operation in Minneapolis recovered the slippers in 2018.
Last year it was revealed that a career thief named Terry Martin had stolen the slippers.
Martin hadn’t even seen The Wizard of Oz and had no idea of the slipper’s significance. He was convinced by an associate the slippers were adorned with real jewels to justify the exorbitant insured value.
Martin planned to remove and sell the rubies, but when he realised they were painted glass, he gave the slippers to the associate.
Prosecutors say they used phone records to find Martin, and leveraged his wife’s immigration status to elicit a confession. However, by the time of his guilty plea Martin was now 76 and in hospice care.
He was spared prison time, which would have been a 10 year sentence, and instead had to pay a $23,500 USD fine to the Judy Garland Museum.
Subscribe to Crime Insiders, taking you beyond true crime. In groundbreaking interviews, explore the world of policing and forensics through stories from the world’s most experienced and decorated experts.