With the auction house’s fee, the final price tag for the unknown buyer reached $32.5m (£26m). This shatters the previous record for entertainment memorabilia, held by Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress.

The slippers, one of only four surviving pairs worn by Garland in the film, were estimated to fetch $3m (£2.4m) but quickly surpassed expectations in a fierce bidding war, The Guardian reports.

The auction also saw other Wizard of Oz memorabilia sold, including a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, which fetched $2.4m (£1.9m).