19th c. French Empire-style bronze centerpiece supported by swan figurines with central glass bowl and three moulded glass pomegranates.
Provenance: From the estate of Jerry Hal Saliterman (1947-2025), the career criminal identified by federal authorities as the mastermind behind the Ruby Slippers Heist, the famous prop from The Wizard of Oz.
In August 2005, Terry Jon Martin used a hammer to smash the display case at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN. Saliterman was a second-generation fence who took possession of the slippers immediately after the heist. The slippers would stay hidden with Saliterman for the next 13 years until recovered in a 2018 FBI sting. These items come from a deaccession of evidence pertaining to his criminal case. A fixture of the Minnesota underworld for decades, this collection offers a rare look into the life of the man who successfully eluded the FBI for nearly two decades, managing a sophisticated retail theft ring while keeping one of the world’s most famous treasures tucked away in a grocery bag. These iconic shoes sold for $28 million after being recovered from Saliterman’s possession.
(Centerpiece with bowl) Height: 12 in x width: 9 in x depth: 8 3/4 in. (Pomegranates, each aprox.) Height: 4 1/2 in x diameter: 4 in. Gross weight: 20 lbs 12 oz.
Condition: To the bronze, there are no major bends, dents, or losses. Some tarnishing. To the glass bowl, there is a small chip along the rim. To the glass pomegranates, there are losses, chips, scratches, and accretions.
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