Patriot Update

A book owned by George Washington and containing his own annotated copy of the Constitution sold for almost $10 million at Christie’s, more than three times what it was expected to draw.

A fierce bidding war between two unidentified parties forced the price up, and applause erupted in the venerable auction house when the hammer came down and the 223-year-old book sold for $9,826,500 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.

The Acts of Congress volume includes a copy of the Constitution, a draft of the Bill of Rights, and acts creating the executive, State and Treasury department. The book was printed for him in 1789 and is in nearly-pristine condition.

“There are four bound copies for members of the government, but the George Washington provenance makes this by far the best of all,” co-owner of Manhattan Rare Books Company Michael DiRuggiero told FoxNews.com.