Marilyn Monroe's 1954 marriage certificate is one of the items up for grabs in an auction of the joint personal effects of the Hollywood star and her second husband, baseball hero Joe DiMaggio. Signed in green ink by DiMaggio and "Norma Jean Dougherty", Monroe's name by her first marriage, the document is expected to fetch around $15,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York next month.

Other items in the collection include Monroe's US passport, estimated at $40,000, and a painting of the actor by Jon Whitcomb. DiMaggio's old New York Yankees uniform also features in the sale, which takes place on May 19 and 20.

In several love letters to Di Maggio, Monroe refers to her husband as "My Dad", describes herself as "your wife for life" and assures him that "all I want, all I need is you - forever." The marriage lasted 274 days.