An empty pill bottle which belonged to Elvis Presley has sold at auction in the USA for $2,640 (£1,335).

The prescription drug bottle, which contained antihistamine Naldecon, had to be emptied by auctioneers Julien's because selling the contents would have been illegal.

Presley was known to take the drug, prescribed by his doctor George Nichopoulos, in the 1970s.

A gold-plated gun also owned by the rock and roll hero went for $28,800 (£14,571). Other items sold included an umbrella held by Marilyn Monroe in a photo, for $42,000 (£21,249), and Alfred Hitchcock's passport, which made $19,200 (£9,714).

Darren Julien, chief executive, commented: "We'd planned to sell the bottle with the pills, but the Los Angeles Police Department told us it would be a federal crime to do it, so sad to say we had to remove the pills."