WASHINGTON  —  If eBay (search) is any accurate gauge of worth, then Wesley Clark (search) has expensive tastes.

The presidential candidate's argyle sweater, panned by commentators for its homeliness after he wore it to a New Hampshire campaign event, went up on the online auction site Saturday with a starting bid of $50. At 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Clark's threads were worth more than $5,400.

That offer marked a sharp decline in the day's high bid, which stood at more than $12,000 earlier Wednesday. Bidders may withdraw offers while the Web site sometimes cancels suspicious bids.

The campaign donated the sweater to Liberty House (search), a transitional shelter for homeless veterans in Manchester, N.H., which is auctioning it to raise money.

Described as "gray in color, with an attractive argyle pattern in tan, dark green and dark red," the sweater earned Clark some raised eyebrows from campaign observers who objected to the former general's fashion sense. But eBay's description has Clark claiming that what the sweater lacked in style, it made up for in warmth on New Hampshire's frigid campaign trail.