DALLAS — A pair of ruby ​​slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is up for auction nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, believing they were encrusted with real jewels.

Online bidding has begun and will continue through Dec. 7, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said in a news release Monday.

The auction company received the sequined and beaded slippers from Michael Shaw, the memorabilia collector who originally owned the footwear from the beloved 1939 musical. Shaw loaned the shoes in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

That summer, someone broke into a shop window and stole the slippers. Their location remained a mystery until The FBI recovered them in 2018.

Now, the museum is among those vying for the slippers, which were one of several pairs Garland wore during filming. Only four left.

Grand Rapids raised money for slippers at his yearly The Judy Garland Festival. The funds will supplement the $100,000 allocated this year by Minnesota lawmakers to purchase the slippers.

The man who stole the slippers, Terry Jon Martin, was 76 years old when he he was sentenced in January to a term due to his poor health. He admitted to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case in what his lawyer said was an attempt to score “one last score” after an old associate with mob ties told him the shoes they must be adorned. with real jewelry to justify its million dollar insured value.

The movie memorabilia auction also includes other “Wizard of Oz” items, such as a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West and the screen door from Dorothy’s Kansas home.