How do you put a number on historical value? A Minnesota bill is about to put a price on the ruby slippers worn by MN native Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. The slippers, stolen twenty years ago, were recently returned to their owner following the completion of the trial last year. The FBI were tipped off to the where abouts and recovered the sparkly heels in a sting.

Now the owner plans to have them auctioned off after sending them on tour. Their estimated auction value is put at $3.5 million.

The state of MN is going to put in a bid but it’s a bit shy of the estimate.

There's no place like…. #mnleg?

Legacy Finance ombinus scheduled for a Senate floor vote Wednesday includes $200K to try to buy the ruby slippers that were stolen from a MN museum.

The catch: They could go for +10x that in auction.

Background: https://t.co/om4cY6FGu4 pic.twitter.com/4lNrNN8q9t

— Torey Van Oot (@toreyvanoot) April 22, 2024

How are cultural values calculated? A one-off item is difficult to determine. But other similar items come and go from the market. Properties, for instance, have been designated as historical landmarks.