Heritage Auctions Is Selling the Witch Hat from 'The Wizard of Oz'

"The hat worn by Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West onscreen in the original Wizard of Oz film, is being sold by Heritage Auctions next month. The minimum bid is $100,000. The pointy black hat was created by the mononymous costume designer Adrian, who worked on dozens of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films in the 1930s and '40s, the most famous of which was The Wizard of Oz."

"In addition to Hamilton's hat, there is a copy of L. Frank Baum's book, signed by the cast of the movie (including a pawprint of the dog who played Toto), with a starting bid of $250,000; a pillbox-style wool hat worn by one of the Scarecrow groomers ($10,000); the blouse worn by Judy Garland, who played Dorothy, which is being sold with a gingham dress,"

"Heritage Auctions sold Garland's ruby slippers last year for $32 million, way above its $3 million estimate. As detailed in Artnet, that pair has a fascinating history. They were owned by collector Michael Shaw, who lent them to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich. They were stolen from the museum in 2005 and recovered with help from the FBI 13 years later. (The rehearsal slipper from next month's Heritage sale is also from the Michael Shaw Collection.)"

The hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West will be sold by Heritage Auctions with a $100,000 minimum bid. The sale spans Dec. 9-10 and includes about 300 lots, nine of which relate to The Wizard of Oz. Highlighted items include a cast-signed copy of L. Frank Baum's book with Toto's pawprint (starting $250,000), a pillbox-style wool hat from a Scarecrow groomer ($10,000), Judy Garland's blouse and gingham dress ($20,000), and a red silk rehearsal shoe ($25,000). Heritage previously sold Garland's ruby slippers for $32 million; those slippers were stolen in 2005 and recovered 13 years later. Several items come from collector Michael Shaw's holdings.

Read at ARTnews.com