'Wizard of Oz' dress fetches $266,000

LONDON, April 27 (UPI) -- An unidentified buyer paid $266,000 at a London auction for the blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz."

The dress, custom-made for the 17-year-old Garland in the 1939 movie, had been expected to fetch just 1/4 of that amount, the BBC reported Wednesday.

"It has become a cherished memory for millions of fans worldwide," said a spokesman for Bonhams auction house in London.

The dress that the spokesman said represents "the quintessential magic of childhood" was displayed in Los Angeles and San Francisco prior to the Tuesday sale to an undisclosed phone bidder.