Warsaw - Polish president Lech Kaczynski was to auction off on Monday the faulty pen he used during a signing ceremony of the Lisbon Treaty.

The fountain pen stopped working as Kaczynski was putting down his signature last month to ratify the controversial reform treaty. Kaczynski - a conservative known for his euroscepticism - borrowed a ballpoint pen to finish signing the document.

The pen was up for bids on allegro. pl, a Polish internet auction website, with proceeds set to go to a charity for children with brain damage.

The highest bid on the pen was some 13,400 zloty (4,500 dollars) Monday afternoon, with the auction due to close at 11 pm local time (2200 GMT).

The president's chancellery said it encouraged buyers who were both "euro-enthusiasts who want to take pride in owning the item that was to sign the historic document, and eurosceptics wanting to honor (the pen) for its unique resistance to signing the treaty." (dpa)