The dress is one of 10 versions of the costume worn by Garland's character Dorothy in the 1939 musical movie, but most of the outfits were recycled by staff at the MGM studio for use in other films.

The garment, which comes with Garland's sweat marks on the collar, will be sold as part of Bonhams auction house's Treasures from the Dream Factory sale.

It is expected to fetch around $1.2 million (£750,000) after bids open on 23 November (15) in New York.

Catherine Williamson from Bonhams says,"The dress is one of those costumes which are instantly identifiable. You immediately know it was Judy Garland who wore it as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz... What is great about this is it has signs of use: there are sweat stains around the neck, but it is still in fine condition."