this is going to be challenging. i love it. i'm not seeing a lot of traditional old americana that does well at quinn's. i'm browsing. i feel very british. i want to look at those elephant garden stools. is this your booth? yes, it is. tell me your name? george. where are you from louisiana? south carolina. so are you selling them as a pair? george: no, either way. either way, okay. so where'd you get these? i don't even know how long i've had them. i just bought it somewhere i liked them i have them outside by my garden and i decided to bring them in. i like them. they're great just to make a little stool. so what are you asking for one? how about $150? oh, my. i don't know, george. i like this one more because this one kind of has a little crack on the top. yeah, yeah, no, no, the white one is in better condition. i don't know, george. i'm between $65 and $75. between $65 and $75. yeah.

how about $70? how about $68? $68, you got a deal. yay! okay, this is great. for me, this is when it's cocktail time. i can put my cocktail right here on top of the elephant. walberg: george moonlights as a dealer and works primarily as a sports marketer. hey, george, let's get a photo of me and you, you're on the one and i'm on the other. walberg: i bet he could hook you up with a lot more valuable seats than those elephants at any number of sporting events, miller. now smile. (shutter clicks) miller: the elephant garden stool has got a lot of weight to it. it doesn't have much crazing and that's what you look for in ceramic pieces. the color is still there. it's in great condition. and the glaze is nice. you know, some of these pieces the glaze is barely there anymore. it's in fantastic condition. okay, george, thank you. miller: i got a great price on this garden stool. i've seen these sell as a pair or individually for over $1,000 each. so i think this is going to do very well at auction.

should i go with a cane, traditional virginia? everybody likes the lab up there. hi, doe! hi there. i'm back again. how much are you asking for the cane? that one is $75. it's really nice. anything with dogs' heads are very popular. okay, would you take $45? i can't. i appreciate your offer. $65 on it. doe: anything that has dogs' heads is great for resale. people do collect their own breeds but they will collect other dogs if they're fabulous and cute. miller: there's no working it down any more than that? i can't, thank you. i'll go $60. i'll go $60. doe, would you take $55? i'll do $55. you got me. you got a deal. thank you, doe. enjoy it. oh, i will. john: doe, doe, don't sell it to her doe, don't do it. oh, no, john. oh, no, don't do it, doe. john, don't wreck and fall. doe: someone's not going to be happy. he was looking at all of them.

(chuckling) well, you know, tough luck. miller: hi, jim. jim: hey, you're back! the challenge is this. since we're talking baseball today... oh, my. ...the question is, at auction a baseball card sold for a record highest price. who is the player on the card? around the turn of the century. i know, it's like one of those crazy names. those crazy names. it's not my favorite shoeless joe jackson. i'm going to say lou gehrig, but i know it's not. good guess but no, it's not. oh, there we go. shades of sweeney todd. walberg: unlike miller, john bruno doesn't think bidders who attend quinn's auction in falls church, virginia, are primarily interested in traditional americana just because the auction house happens to be located in the suburban south.

this is an auction house that does bill itself as dealing with d.c. and it's also on the internet. i'm spotting some modern art and good modern art, even by a no-name artist is always desirable. i mean, what do you see in that? i see a fish eating another fish. okay. huh. walberg: fish? i think that looks like an ear. talk to me about the sticks. come on over here. these are very cool. what kind of prices do you have on them? they range from $75 to... this one's sterling, made in portugal, $175. it's a lady's stick. much more delicate more feminine. this is a more contemporary one, but it's always saleable. anything with dogs. walberg: john looks at these walking sticks before miller buys her dog cane. but dealer doe harris, whose grandfather was an auctioneer, tries to get john interested in where she chose to stick them-- a leather container miller will pass over.

i love the stick case. what do you think it is? it looks like a golf bag to me an old leather golf bag. it's actually from a battleship, made in england. they're for carrying the charges for the actual guns, for cordite. cordite? cordite. it's all leather, and then all linen lined in here. they came linen lined? it came linen lined. of course, to absorb any moisture. evidently cordite has some sort of very specific scent. and it has initials, see? probably from some sort of ship. j-a-h, and then it has a little insignia. what kind of price do you have on the case? i am asking $550. $550 for that? $550. $550?! in england, that would be even double pounds. $550? we may talk. yeah, you'll be back i know. i've heard that story. the professionals do come back. then i stumble on one of my favorite pieces. modern sculpture. probably 1970s. aluminum sculpture in a beautiful kinetic style.

sweeping arcs. i fall in love with this. who knows if it's going to be my downfall? i'm always drawn to this sort of thing. this yours? young woman: yeah. do you know the price of them? no, my mom she knows the prices but you have to call her. call her? you can probably get a good deal, since it's almost over. i can give you her number. walberg: is 12-year-old della orr harder giving john the inside track on how to get the best deal out of her mom or is she doing her best to keep a customer from walking away? you make the call. she's right here. john: well, there you are. talk to me about your sculpture. best of the '80s. it is '80s. do you have the artist? no, but it is a california piece. so what are you asking for it? ah, to you, $200. it's going to round top, texas. that is a great piece from the '80s. come on. it's a piece of sculpture that doubles as an earthquake indicator. (rattling) it will do that. real drop-dead, killer end-of-day

price. what could you do? no, that's it. it's got to be up on a stand. it's got to be high, eye level. yeah, that's it, 200. come on, do $150. oh, come on, fellow promoter. $175, that's it. john: just walking an edge, but... right, but we've got to keep the edge moving. i'm with you there. $165. nope. this is going to texas. do you know what i can get for this in texas? nothing! nobody in texas buys this stuff. mom, come on-- $165. john: hey, listen to your daughter. she's a smart girl. walberg: presbyterian pastor jan orr harder is teaching her daughter how to be a dealer. but here's one lesson della still needs to learn-- never take john bruno's side over mom's or for that matter anybody else. jan: okay, $165. you'll do $165? good for you. thank you. you're welcome. john: that's in my comfort zone, then. jan: well, you're buying a killer piece. a modern sculpture that's a flyer. who knows? it could go up, could go down, could go nowhere

could go broke. but if nothing else, i was comfortable buying it, and i had some fun. thanks, kids. bye-bye. so now i've got one item and i've got to buy one more. where did you get it? it came from a private house. they bought it in england. i think there's even, if i'm not mistaken... "john ball antiques, london, england." son of a gun. no, seriously, you gave me a number before, and i have forgotten it. i have forgotten it, too. (laughing) i think it was four and a half. let's see if he remembers the number. mmm. i do. i want to do two. really? oh, well, i can't. bring me more. let's go in between. right down the middle. right down the middle is $337.50. $335. $325. i can't. i'm a new yorker. i'm cheap. come on, let's do three and a quarter. three and a quarter, you got it. what did we say, three and a quarter? give me $20. $320? $320, even better.

you get a kiss. oh, that's worth five bucks. now, my sculpture, is it useful? it's decorative. but this, you put it by your front door put in umbrellas put in your walking sticks. you could even put, like, dried fronds in it, seriously. don't look at me like that. all right, so what's the question, man? all right, the question is since we're talking baseball today, who was the player on the baseball card which sold for the highest price at auction? i actually know the answer to this. there was just a whole treasure trove found of vintage baseball cards. but in this was honus wagner. so the answer has to be honus wagner. that's correct. cool! i mean, jackpot. you just won yourself $25. all right, every one penny counts. so the items are being sent out east to quinn's auction. and the good thing about quinn's auction is they are totally online with their sale. so that means this item is going to be nationally advertised.

jimmy, show me that nice micromosaic. late 18th century. yeah, that's fantastic. every one of those little tiny dots that you see is a piece of glass. probably, what, made in the vatican, maybe? yeah, very possible. how much is something like that? around $9,500. (whistles) look at the quality. unbelievable. i don't even think i should be holding it. i'm just totally leaving myself open right now to see what's out there. something that i can make money on, and that's what i'm going for. i have nothing specific at this point. walberg: try as he may to leave himself open to buying anything... oh, that just feels awesome. oh, perfect. 165, 165. walberg: kevin can't help but zero in on what he knows best-- chinese antiques like the ones he finds in dealer brent baden's booth. kevin: what are you asking for the pair of chinese chairs? mmm... $450, i think. bought them at auction. i'm going to guess they're 100 years old. kevin: there's no damage to them, just the finish is worn.

what would be the absolute bottom line on a pair of chairs like that? a real absolute bottom line? yeah, like that real number. that number that you wish you could have got, but... 300 bucks. 300 bucks? not less than that, though. you asked me for the real number. kevin: not even $250, huh? easy to put them back in my store. i hear you. $275, man, cash? no, $300. cash doesn't matter to me. i hear you. take a company check. right. i'm going to take them for three bills, all right? they're hardwood and they can be redone if somebody wants to redo them. kevin: i bought a really nice pair of chinese armchairs. lacquered finish, kind of worn but they're still really cool, really nice carvings. well, you've got the nice swoop back right here. you can see the nice detail. and you've got the nice curved arms. and they're still very solid. after all these years they're solid. these chairs are well over 100 years old, probably closer to 200 years old.

and at 300 bucks they're a pretty good deal as far as i'm concerned. they're great. i mean, that's a pretty fine deal you gave me from $450 down to $300. i appreciate it. happy to help out. so with one more item to go, i'm kind of leaving it open. i'm just searching around for quality. whatever kind of grabs me and draws me in, that's what i'm going for. all right, thank you. see you later. all right. whose booth? everybody's, right? everybody's. but he's the boss. all right, boss. who's the painter down there on that painting? tell me about that little painting. oh, it's a russian painting. from, like, the '50s? yes. walberg: actually, the painting is from what is now the czech republic. but during this period czechoslovakia was part of the soviet bloc. what's it priced at? it's $200. walberg: a group of eastern european communist countries aligned with the soviet union. is it okay if i zip the back with my fingernail, just to look? walberg: artists were discouraged from having an individual point of view in favor of a more uniform style,

leaving much of one country's art indiscernible from another. and this is the simple scenes that you would see. walberg: these paintings are by soviet artists of the same era. like many of their counterparts from soviet bloc countries artists who declined to paint government-sanctioned scenes with proletariat workers, chose instead to paint simple impressionistic landscapes that were considered safe subjects. kevin: do you have any clue who the artist is? it looks like "incazak," but that don't mean anything. any time you can zip open the back of a painting it's most likely going to lead to more information for you to be able to determine whether you want to purchase an item like that or not. and when i opened that one up and i saw the original label it's got the name, now i can research it. i look at how much they're asking, $125 buck and a quarter, end of day? all right, i'll take it for a buck and a quarter. kevin: they're not asking a ton of money. i'm not even going to do any research right there. i'm going to take a shot that that painting is going to make me money. and i'm being a gambling man right now.

walberg: let's review all the items and what the pickers spent. here are kevin's lots-- a chinese water coupe, a pair of chinese wooden chairs, and a 20th-century czech painting. john's lots are comprised of a japanese roof tile, a kinetic sculpture, and a british naval cordite carrier. miller's lots include a carved wood rooster, a ceramic elephant pedestal, and a labrador head cane. and finally, on to bene's lots. in addition to the world war ii commemorative, she also purchased a chinese lacquer box and the "day we celebrate" engraving. now it's on to falls church, virginia where all of their items will be sold at quinn's auction galleries. the auction house is filling up with bidders from the washington, d.c., area. they include dealers trying to buy low to flip these antiques. others are collectors who may be inclined to spend more for what they really want. watching the bidding from behind

the scenes will be all four of our pickers, who were just told about the $30 profit bene made on her world war ii commemorative. okay, i'm shocked, okay? well, you thought you would make money with it and you did. the opening bid, if it was ten dollars, i figured i was safe. that could be in a yard sale. i can't believe these people were bidding. you never know what will happen at auction. walberg: this is the moment we've been waiting for. remember, bene begins with a $30 profit. and as the winner of the bonus round john starts off $25 in the black. all right, here we go. the next item we're selling is the chinese kanji style porcelain water coupe. and who'll start me, please? 20 bucks for it. $20. $20 and $30, $40, ma'am, $50. in back, $60, $70. yes, $80. $70 in the third row. now $80, anyone? $80, $80 in the back. $90? $80 in back a new bidder now. $90, anyone, $90? $90? sold, $80 in the back to you, ma'am. ah, $20 profit. good job. yeah. lot number 166, the japanese buddhist nio guardian

roof tile. it does have a little repair to it, but it's been... a little? start me, please. ten bucks on it. $15, there you are. $20 in the back, and $25. yes, and $30. $25, $30. yes, $35, $35. $30, bid $35? yes? all right. yes, turned profit, okay. $40, the lady. $45? $45, yes, and $50. why are they buying this? lost their minds. oh, my gosh. $65, yes, and $70? $70, yes, and $75? $75, yes, and $80? $80, $85 now? anyone $85...? sold, $80 on my right to you, ma'am. all right! bene: oh, my gosh. wow. lot number 68, the burmese carved wood rooster, an early 19th-century piece here. start me, please. 20 bucks. $25, and $30, and five. $45, $55, $60. $65, $70. $70, yes, five, $80. $85. $90 there. $95, $100 there, $110. now $120?

it's a good thing. it's a nice thing. any interest at $130? come on, work it work it, work it. sold, $120 to you, sir, buyer 252. whoa, that was great. whoo! all in the profit. i can't believe it-- that's pretty good. yeah, that's very good. maybe we're learning this business. let's hope we keep it. slow down, you guys. slow down. lot number 73, this glazed ceramic elephant garden seat. i can start the bidding off here at $50. now five? $50 here, need $55. $60, 65, $75, $80. $80, yes. $85, $90 $95, $100. $95, $100, yes and $110? $110, yes. keep it going. wow. $130, yes, $140. $130. i have a bid $140? is that a yes? it's worth more than that. wow, you've doubled. $150, yes, $160? $160? $160? sold, $150 to you, buyer 150. oh, miller that's great.

wow. lot number 76. 76 here is a pair of 18th/19th century chinese chairs. i can start the bidding off here at 200 bucks. $200 is my bid here. now $210. any interest at $210 dollars? i have $210. $220, $230, ma'am? $230, yes, $240, $250. $250, $260, $270. $280 here, $290. $290, i have $300, $325. i have $350, $375. $350 on profit. $350 i hear. now $375. $350's my bid. one more. all right, sell $350? sold here, $350, to the absentee bidder. i'll take it, i'll take it. item number 74, the curtis jere stainless steel kinetic sculpture. i have $110 on the computer, now $120. i have $110, 20 there, $130. $130, yes, $140? $140, yes, $150. $150 to the computer. $160. yes, $170. $160 i have, now $170 behind you. now $170, anyone $170? they're getting flat down there. any interest at $170? sold $160 right there on my left. damn, so close. very close. i mean, five dollar loss not much.

lot number 70, the japanese lacquer wedding box. has the porcelain inset top, the hand painted top. this piece from the 1920s, 1930s. start me, please. $20 for it? $20, thank you. and five, and $30, and five, $40, five, $50. five, $60, $60. $55 in the middle, $60, yes. $65 there, now $70. i see a lot of cards around. i see a lot of cards. it's the same person. $80 in back, now $85. $85? yes, and $90 in back. and $95. $95, yes, and $100. $100, yes, and $110. a profit, i'm happy, yes. $140, ma'am. $140, yes. $150? yes, $160, $170, yes, $180, yes. $190, sir. $190, yes, and $200. $200, yes. $200? did i double? $210, a new bidder. the economy must be improving. sold, $210 down front, buyer 170, 170. i doubled. go, bene. there you go. john: look at this! girls are winning. i know!

girls are kicking butt on the guys right now. yes, we are. how do you feel? come on, we have to keep it up. maybe we'll knock the alpha dogs off. (chuckling) kevin: i'll tell you what. let's watch round three and we'll find out. we'll see what happens. all right, lot number 75 this czech painting here. it's a lukocic painting. what do you have for me? $100, i have $110, $120. $120, $130 here, $140. $150 here, $160. $160, yes, $170 here, $180? $190 here, $200? how big is it? $230, $240. $240, $230 here, now $240? anyone $240? any interest at $240? going to sell here at $230? sold here, $230. i'm happy. that's great. wow, kevin. very happy. lot number 72, this 19th-century etching called "the day we celebrate." start me, please, $20 for it? $20? $25 in the back, $30 ma'am? $30, yes, $35, $40. $35 on my left, $40, $45, yes, and $50? and $55, yes, and $60? $60, yes, five, and $65? anyone $65?

going to sell $60 in the back. anyone $65? oh, i'm so disappointed. sold, $60 to you, sir, buyer 229. i'm so disappointed. oh, no. lot number 71, the labrador head handled cane. start me, please five bucks for lot 71. five? $20, $25, $30, $35, $40... let him work it. i'm not concerned. $40 in the second row now, $45 yes? $45, yes, and $50? $45 in the third row now $50 anyone? i have $45 in the third row, now anyone $50? really? work it, work it, work it. sold, $45 in the third row. no! (all exclaiming) john: i thought it would have brought $100. british naval world war ii era leather cordite carrier. start me, please-- hundred bucks for it? 50 bucks? 50 now 60? $70, sir? $80, $90? $100, $110? $110, $120, $130? it's not going to get up high enough. $150 there, $160. yes, $170, yes, $180. $180, yes, $190? anyone $190, $190? sold $180.

bummer. that hurt a lot. i don't know who won, though. it's close. walberg: and the winner is kevin bruneau. whoo! kevin: pulled it out in the end. miller: congratulations, kevin. congratulations. good job, good job, kevin. mission announcer: market warriors was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from: led, "the first fourth of july." i have this party every year on the fourth of july, and i think it will be great when my friends come in and they'll be able to see that painting just as they walk in the front door.

i thought, "ooh, my goodness "i think i have a little treasure here. "i'm not going to say anything to anybody. i'm just going to bid on it." sold, $60, to you, buyer 229. buyer: i was very happy with the price, but i would have bought it at any cost. i purchased the 19th-century elephant garden stool. i love garden stools; i think they're beautiful. today they're mass-produced and it's hard to find some that are a little bit older. i love the colors, i love the shape i love the condition that it was in. i think it would be beautiful in between two chairs or at the end of the sofa. i got it for $150, and i thought that was a very fair price and it's either going to stay with me or it's going to move on to another home and it's going to be beautiful. what a lovely set of luggage. these were exceedingly popular all through the '20s, '30s '40s, into the '50s. oh, look at that, very cool. made to put all the cosmetics in. being a brown leather, it looks more like a gentleman's set.

all nesting-- this is the most fabulous part. all custom made by kam lung co. in hong kong. and they're all made to nest together to save space. they have the identification of the people who first had them made, here in la mesa, california. now it's getting a little heavier. pan american-- no longer in business, pan am. it still has the original luggage tags a little bit of wear at all the points you would expect wear. it has all the earmarks of a real deal. the tag is saying $300. that seems like a good starting price. i would never pay $300, but it's in the fair range, so something to consider keep in the back of my head for later on. this says hollywood more than any other piece i've seen today. because there was this era in the '30s when they loved the tropical for outdoor furniture. how chic is this? i love it! but you know what?

it's not right for virginia. i need this for clients for myself. classic hollywood. how are you? this was a japanese mixed-metal tsuba. really beautiful work. and how much is something like this? $750 on that. $750. you can see the quality. just a tsuba this sword fitting, is worth more than an entire sword that you're asking, right? just because of the quality of the fitting. and it looks like it's signed, too. it might be gold, you know. right, gold and silver inlay. mixed metal. very beautiful. nice quality. is that a rolex? yeah. we'll trade. (laughing) can i see the iron one, too? people collect this style and other people collect that style. right; this is an earlier style.

how much is something like that? that one's, like, $650. nice openwork. you can see the dragon. and you can tell it was on a sword before. oh, yeah. like that stuff. turn to pbs... for stories that define the american experience. all of this stuff was just erupting revealing our strengths... you create a new future. our struggles... it's very american to say this is not right. these are our stories. we were so innocent and oddly enough we were so american our american experience. only on pbs.