The odd item went under the hammer at Saturday's (27Jun15) Julien’s Auctions Hollywood Legends sale in Beverly Hills, alongside other Monroe collectibles including a dress the actress wore in her final film, Something’s Gotta Give.

The grave marker from Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles was expected to fetch between $2,000 to $4,000 (GBP1,300 to GBP2,700), but bidding turned the macabre memorabilia item into an auction highlight.

Meanwhile, the dress from her final film went under the hammer for $348,000 (GBP232,000) and a Hugh Hefner-signed premiere issue of Playboy Magazine, featuring Monroe on the cover, sold for $87,500 (GBP58,300).

Other auction highlights included Marlon Brando’s 1960 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle ($220,000/GBP146,700) and Princess Diana’s Versace portrait gown and magazine ($192,000/GBP128,000).