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NEED TO KNOW
The iconic black hat worn by the Wicked Witch in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz will soon hit the auction block
The hat — which was worn during the film's flying scenes — is expected to sell for even more than a similar hat, which sold for $3 million in 2024
Heritage Auctions will host the sale, which takes place Dec. 9
The iconic black hat worn by the Wicked Witch in the 1939 filmThe Wizard of Ozwill soon hit the auction block, where it is expected to sell for even more than a similar hat, which sold for $3 million in 2024.
Heritage Auctions will host the sale, which takes place Dec. 9 and also includes other entertainment memorabilia, like a signed photo of Walt Disney and a typed carbon-draft screenplay of the 1983 filmScarface.
The hat — worn by actress Margaret Hamilton, who portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West — has a starting bid of $100,000.
According to theauction listing,the "vintage, original Adrian-designed signature hat is constructed of black wool bunting with a wide brim reinforced by an interior metal hoop."
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Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty; Heritage Auctions, HA.com
The cone-shaped crown measures more than a foot high and is set at a rearward tilt to create the character's distinctive silhouette."
The hat is one of the few surviving examples of its kind and distinguished by its original 22" elastic chinstrap, "used to secure the hat to Hamilton's head during the unforgettable flying sequences."
Another Wicked Witch hat worn in the film was sold by Heritage Auctions on December 7, 2024, and also retained its chinstrap. The sale of that hat achieved a record $2.93 million. This is the only other known Wicked Witch hat featuring the chinstrap to come to auction.
Per Heritage, "apart from the Ruby Slippers, no otherWizard of Ozartifact carries greater significance."Heritage adds that the hat "shows expected age and production wear," including three areas of old adhesive residue on the underside of the brim, but it "has undergone recent, sensitive professional conservation to tighten the brim to the cone."
Per Heritage, the hat was originally acquired in 1970 directly from David Weisz, owner of The David Weisz Co., which conducted the legendary MGM Auction of that year.Heritage last year soldJudy Garland's iconic ruby-red slippers from the film for$28 million.
The shoes are one of only four known surviving pairs of the ruby slippers worn by Garland in the movie. Auctioneers fromHeritage Auctionscalled them the "Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia," at the time of the sale.
Including the auction house's fee, the unknown buyer ultimately paid $32.5 million for the footwear — a selling price that made them the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction. The previous record-holder — the white dress Marilyn Monroe wore in the 1955 filmThe Seven Year Itch —sold in 2011 for $5.52 million with fees, according to the auction house.
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