About a decade ago, the illustrious pair of sequinned, ruby red slippers worn by July Garland in the 1939 “Wizard of Oz” movie were stolen from Grand Rapids Museum, in her Minnesota home town. Even though this case may have gone cold over the years, the search may be over soon with a reward offered for the return of the shoes to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the theft.
An anonymous fan of the musical fantasy film has offered a $1 million reward for any information or direct leads on the location of the slippers. This development may just be the answer Museum Director, John Kelsch and other officials have been waiting for. However for this unidentified donor, the return of the ruby slippers may mean a lot more than just saving the day. One of the many questions that come to mind is what happens if John Doe had the opportunity to eventually purchase and own the shoes?
The missing pair of four known slippers worn by July is presently one of the most prized assets from the phenomenal adaptation of the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum. The others have so far been safely guarded, “[…] one pair is in the Smithsonian Institution, another will be going into a new Los Angeles museum and the third pair is in a private collection,” Kelsch explained. Although it was insured for $1 million, Kelsch believes the shoes are presently worth about $2 million to $3 million. Being one of the most commercially successful movies of all time, this amount could double or even triple considering the circumstances.
Nevertheless, the stipulation which comes along with a seemingly generous reward leaves no room for fraud or contention; it has to be in recognisable condition, must be turned into the police department and the names of the thieves must also be revealed. Even the prince in the Cinderella story had a positive end to the missing slipper saga, everyone wants a happy ending as well. As opposed to reliving past glories like some of the the cast from “The Wizard of Oz,” this mysterious fan could instantly become even more valuable as the owner of this treasure.
The beautiful footwear was contracted to the Grand Rapids for a period of 10 weeks when they were stolen, and as such raised some concerns about the town in regards to its response to theft and crime. But the recent attempt by the Itasca County dive team to find the pair last month in the Tioga Mine Pit may have changed this perception. Even though they didn’t find the slippers, a bag containing a riffle and an empty container was discovered.
This occurrence has also paved way for the resolution of the theft while engaging people in the race that could earn them a million dollars.
