As the highly anticipated film Wicked: For Good prepares for its cinematic debut, fans of the original The Wizard of Oz are offered a rare chance to acquire iconic memorabilia.
Among the treasures going under the hammer, one item promises to cast a spell: Margaret Hamilton’s distinctive black hat as the Wicked Witch of the West.
This iconic wool hat, for sale at Heritage Auctions, measures nearly 14 inches high with a 19.5-inch diameter brim.
Its 22-inch elastic chin strap secured it during Hamilton’s memorable flying scenes. Designed by Gilbert Adrian, it was chosen after the initial selection was deemed insufficiently menacing.
Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President of Heritage Auctions, highlighted its significance: "When Dorothy Gale becomes Dorothy of Oz, it’s when she puts on the ruby slippers. When the Wicked Witch becomes the Wicked Witch, she puts on the hat. So it’s this transformational moment of the birth of the witch. I think the importance of the hat is just incredible. It’s on par with the slippers."
The auction is scheduled for 9 and 10 December, with bidding available online and at Heritage Auctions’ Dallas headquarters.
Beyond the witch's hat, the auction features a signed 'Wizard of Oz' book by Judy Garland, with a lengthy inscription, other cast autographs and Toto’s paw prints – a gift to Garland’s on-set tutor’s daughter.
Two versions of Dorothy’s ruby slippers are available: a right-foot shoe worn by Garland during rehearsals, adorned with crimson-burgundy glass bugle beads, and a 50th-anniversary replica by Western Costume Company.
The replica, made using Garland’s original shoe form, boasts red sequins and rhinestone bows, with Mr Maddalena noting they "are as close as you’re ever going to get to owning a pair of ruby slippers that weren’t screen-used."
A handwritten letter from the story’s original author, L Frank Baum and an organza blouse worn by Garland, bearing her handwritten name tag, round out the offerings.
This sale follows Heritage’s successful auction last year, where a different pair of the film’s ruby slippers sold for an impressive $28m.
While filming The Wizard of Oz, Garland wore several different copies of the red-coloured shoes, though only four are believed to have survived to this day.
Her character is given the magical shoes, previously worn by the Wicked Witch of the East, after her house crushes the witch near the beginning of the story. In Baum’s original children’s novel, the slippers in question are silver, but the 1939 film changed their colour to better showcase the film’s Technicolour.
