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FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2024 • VOL. 54, NO. 15
Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, Stolen In 2005, Returned To Owner, Will Come To Heritage Auctions
FBI Reunited Owner Michael Shaw With His Treasure From “The Wizard Of Oz” During Ceremony At The Judy Garland Museum During a recent private ceremony at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., collector Michael Shaw was reunited with his pair of ruby slippers stolen from the museum in the summer of 2005. “It’s like welcoming back an old friend I haven’t seen in years,” said a teary-eyed Shaw as he stood beside the slippers and the federal agents and local authorities who spent almost two decades tracking down the Technicolor treasures from the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.” For the moment, at least, there was no place like home. But the reunion was brief because immediately following that ceremony in Garland’s childhood home, Shaw turned over the slippers to Heritage Auctions, with which he has consigned them, known as “The Traveling Shoes” because of their long, storied exhibition history. Thanks to their 2018 recovery by the FBI and Shaw’s decision to part with the historic pair, their journey is not yet over. Later this year, Heritage will take Dorothy’s ruby slippers on an international tour, including stops in Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo. Heritage will then offer the ruby slippers at auction in December. “You cannot overstate the importance of Dorothy’s ruby slippers: They are the most important prop in Hollywood history,” says
Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. “This pair is precious as it hails from the legendary collection of Michael Shaw, and we are honored he has partnered with Heritage. As TCM host Ben Mankiewicz once said, these slippers ‘symbolize hope,’ and we’re thrilled they will journey down the yellow brick road to the auction block to a new home.” Gilbert Adrian, the chief costume designer at MetroG o ld w y n - M aye r, c rea te d t h e ruby slippers for Victor Fleming’s big-screen adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel (the magic slippers were silver in the book). Only four pairs are known to have survived. Another pair remains a popular attraction at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where, the museum once noted, “smudges on the heavy glass vitrine must be routinely cleaned” because of the millions who “stand transfixed before them” each year. But as Forbes noted in 2008, Shaw’s pair “was of higher quality than the pair which now resides in the Smithsonian” because Shaw owned the pair used for close-up shots when Dorothy clicked her heels. Shaw, a former child actor once under contract to MGM, acquired his pair from Kent Warner, a Hollywood costumer who discovered them and their siblings in
an MGM warehouse shortly before the famous May 1970 auction that essentially brought down the curtain on Hollywood’s Golden Age. Shaw told The Los Angeles Times in 1988 that when Warner brought him the ruby slippers, “I was so thrilled I literally started crying”. I was just thrilled to pieces. I told him that if I never owned another possession, I’d be happy.” Shaw eventually amassed an impressive collection of movie memories and traveled them around the country as part of a show called “Hollywood on Tour.” In 2005, the Judy Garland Museum borrowed Shaw’s “traveling pair” for its annual Judy Garland Festival and what should have been a 10-week visit. But
on Aug. 28, someone slipped into Garland’s childhood home, shattered the plexiglass case holding the slippers and stole them, leaving behind only a single red sequin. “It’s the worst nightmare for me,” Shaw said at the time, and the case quickly went cold despite a million-dollar reward. In July 2018, after Shaw and investigators feared the slippers had disappeared forever, the FBI and Grand Rapids Police Department recovered the pair during a sting operation. The FBI took the slippers to the Smithsonian, where conservators compared them to the museum’s pair donated in 1979. The FBI later put out a statement: “Examination of Continued on page 14
Speciality Tool And Firearms Sale Held By Haar’s Auction By Karl Pass Haar’s Auction in Dillsburg, Pa., held a tool and gun sale on March 22 with a crowd of over 200 registered bidders. There was quite a bit of interest in a 1973 Suzuki 185 CC, one owner and 2,000 miles, and it brought $2,600. Another top item generating bidder interest was a Ford garden tractor from the 1960s, realizing $850.
Two Winchester rifles with original boxes sold for $675 and $975. Bidding continued fo r u n i q u e ga rd e n s t a t u e s / items, a nice selection of tools, guns, ammo, and fishing items. Haar’s has been in business since 1934 and is now operated by the third generation. They hold weekly auctions on Monday evenings. For more information, visit www.haars.com.
New Jersey Antique Bottle Club To Hold Outdoor Show On June 8 Kyle Family Farm Will Host Event The Kyle Family Farm located in East Windsor, N.J., hosts a variety of events each year along with running a year-round farmer’s market and bake shop seven days a week. Owned by Kevin and Sharon Kyle, the farm has been growing fresh produce since 2003. It was bought from the state under the Farmland Preservation Program. Aside from the market, the events include fall festivities such as pumpkin picking, hayrides, a corn maze, and haunted attractions. The fruit and produce grown ranges from strawberries and asparagus in the late spring and early summer, to staples such as corn, tomatoes, and melons, then broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage in the fall. Another venue for selling is the Englishtown Flea Market. A kitchen was added to a renovated building on the farm for market space so baked goods could be added to the offerings. The Kyles have managed the New Jersey Antique Bottle Club Show and Sale for eight years. It used to be held at the Manville VFW. For the past three years, the annual show has taken place outdoors on the Kyle Farm. Since the change in venue, the group has seen attendance and interest in vendors grow. Dealers travel from around the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and New England to set up and shop. In 2022, the indoor show returned to Manville, but the outdoor show continued. This year, the show taking place on Saturday, June 8, aims to attract more customers and vendors by allowing more antiques in addition to the traditional bottle collections and pottery the group’s show is Continued on page 14
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . .
starting on page 3
SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . .
on page 6
EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR on page 10 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . on page 11 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . . . on page 11
FEATURE ARTICLE: Fishersville Antiques Expo, May 10 And 11 - Page 7
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . on page 14