By james art 
DALLAS – A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” are up for auction nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, believing they were adorned with real jewels.
Online bidding has begun and will run through Dec. 7, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions announced in a news release Monday.
The auction company obtained the sequined and beaded slippers from Michael Shaw, the memorabilia collector who originally owned the shoes at the heart of the beloved 1939 musical. Shaw loaned the shoes in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
FILE – Ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” are displayed at a press conference on September 4, 2018 at the FBI office in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Jeff Beynon – Staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
This summer someone smashed a window and stole the slippers. Their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI discovered them in 2018.
The museum is now among those vying for the slippers, which were one of several pairs Garland wore during filming. Only four left.
Grand Rapids raised money for the slippers at its annual Judy Garland Festival. The funds will supplement $100,000 set aside this year by Minnesota lawmakers to purchase the slippers.
The man who stole the slippers, Terry John Martin, was 76 when he was sentenced in January because of his ill health. He admits he used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case in what his lawyer said was an attempt to extract a “final score” after an old associate with mob ties told him the shoes should be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insurance 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.
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