we had this back-and-forth that was familiar and fun and playful, and the truth of the matter is if somebody likes you, you're going to get a better price at a flea market. (clinking) laura, we're batting 1.000 here. i still can't get that bed frame screwed together. i know we were hovering around the $40 mark. since i'm walking out with a handful of screws and two pieces can we get down to $35? okay. all right. i'm going to go ahead and take the headboard, because i think i can do something with it. it's a great room divider. it's so cool. and you have been more than patient and lovely. okay, and i appreciate you doing all the work, too. oh, come on, it was a joy, and you're a joy. i have one more thing i can purchase. i was hoping maybe i could give you back that five-dollar bill that you gave me in change and walk out with this little table. what do you think? i've got 80 bucks in that table. oh... yeah that's too much for me. they're hot. i understand. i know that's how it

works. and i like you, i swear. i like you too. i want to slow dance with you. what would be your absolute best on it? 40 bucks-- that's as low as i can go. see, and i was going my bottom line is $30. ooh-whee. and that look, yeah, you got that look. give me the 30 bucks. i'm going to give you 30 bucks and i'm going to give you a hug. can i do that? i'm a little sweaty. i'll take the 30 bucks. bob: she's awesome and lovely. it's a hot day everybody's sweating everybody wants to sort of pack up and move on, and nobody wants to put more furniture on the truck, so i do believe that's in my favor as well. oh, you're real smooth. laura: bob over here, i kind of dug him. all the work he did with the other item, i kind of said "let me bend a little bit and give bob a deal." thank you. nice meeting you. nice to meet you. our chemistry worked, and i got the deals as a result of it.

kevin: this round, i'm just trying to find some good bargains. i have no set item i'm looking for. i'm out feeling the flea market, kind of carousing around i'm feeling out the different vendors. i'm just out looking for something that's going to make me money. walberg: you're about to watch kevin bruneau accomplish something very hard to pull off, especially on the fly, with a dealer he's never met before. where'd you get all these neat cool canes? walberg: at this moment even kevin has no idea what's about to take place. how much would a cane like this cost? $100. 100 bucks, huh? i personally sell a lot of canes during the course of the year, so i'm kind of drawn to them when i see them, and he had some really neat ones there. now, is this a horse measuring cane? you're very good. you're the only person that's known that today. right. walberg: kevin often impresses a dealer with what he knows and since he doesn't do it ostentatiously it makes a doubly good impact. kevin: it measures all right here by the hands. it tells you exactly how big your horse is. it has a little level to make sure it's all nice and perfect.

and the little level's gone, but that's okay. and it folds away, compact. and in the world of canes, it's called a gadget cane. yeah, you're pretty good. folds up just like that, goes right back in. that's pretty neat. walberg: after an introduction like that, this dealer is happy to have kevin browse around his booth for as long as he likes. this is cool. punch from punch & judy. is it an original one? as far as i know yeah. sure looks it. yeah. walberg: kevin seems to agree but the look on his face says something different. what can you tell me about this one? got him up at an antique show in massachusetts. never had another one like that, don't know too much about him. walberg: by saying he doesn't know too much about the object, the dealer gives kevin the opening he needs to keep going. what are you asking for something like this in your booth? $150. really? yeah. that sounds kind of real inexpensive for an antique bank of this quality. walberg: notice how kevin's skepticism is phrased in terms that won't insult the dealer.

by suggesting the dealer may be charging too little for an original, he doesn't put him on the defensive as he would if he had said the dealer may be charging too much for a reproduction. i want to see if i can do a little research on this. yeah, okay. cool. before i would ever pull the trigger on something like this i want to know exactly what it is i'm looking at, right. walberg: by doing his research in front of the dealer kevin is suggesting they're in this together once again avoiding any adversarial insinuations. my gut tells me it's probably not an original one, but one probably from the 1950s or '60s or something like that. oh, okay. let's see what we can come up with. walberg: kevin has just prepared the dealer for what for him seems already a foregone conclusion. this bank is most likely a repro, not an original. see, they're being remade today. people would actually take these and put them in a fire and make them look older than what they are. buyer beware, at that point. you really have to stop and think about how great the bargain is that you're looking at. usually too good to be true.

i'm not confident enough that this is one of the older, older ones but more of, like, one from the 1950s, probably. a nice one, and priced accordingly for the time period, because if this was original it would be, in my opinion $1,000-plus. cool, thank you. walberg: no hard feelings as kevin takes off to find a shop 'til you stop item somewhere else. it's a carl sorensen bronze bowl. back a couple, few years ago this stuff was really hot. i don't know what the market is on it, so i'm going to find out what the market is on it right now. just in my opinion, it's even better than what i'm finding. they're all selling for $200 around that range, and here's one for 50 bucks. it's got great colors and real good design with this swooped handle like this. i'm going to see if i can make a deal on it right now. on your bowl. yeah. kind of cool. kind of hot. (laughing) what are you thinking you might want to sell me the bowl

for? i'll go down to 40 bucks. woman: it's signed. kevin: it is, it's cool. she's the boss, huh? she's the boss. the boss would say $45, so you better be glad he said $40. $40? all right. i'm going to do a deal with you for 40 bucks. this is a cool bowl. i'm going to be honest. probably ten years ago this stuff was selling for twice as much as what it is today. but today, it still holds its own. i didn't hit a million-dollar piece but i think we got a real good one here. walberg: kevin returns to the same atrium where he and miller won the bonus round and finds a book of movie posters that was there for the taking by any one of the pickers. 50 years of movie posters. these are, like, great reference books. you don't see these every day, and this one's in pretty good condition. do you want to go home with this thing, or can i make you a real sloppy offer on it? not very sloppy, i love it. 20 bucks. i see them on the internet for $30 in almost mint condition. oh, really? yeah. not $25? no, 20 bucks one bill, cash.

all right, all right. drum roll? duh-duh-duh-duh! (laughs) thank you very much. what's your name? my name is bobbi, and i've just been doing this for 50... 60 years i've been a collector of vintage clothes and 50 years dealing. wow. how long have you actually had this book? i just put it out. i've had it in my collection for probably, i think 25 years. it's wonderful. she took the $20 bite, and away we went with it. it's going to the perfect market. abell is right nearby hollywood. that's the market you want to put it in right where it came from originally. well, thank you very much, this was wonderful. thank you. i appreciate you wheeling and dealing with me. thank you. all right, cool. (sighs) it is warm. i'm not sure where to go. just going to follow my instincts and we're going to find the fun stuff. classic styrofoam mannequin head. i was at a show about ten years ago,

and the guy had 200, if he had one, of these in bags. so i made him an offer bought the entire two bags 200 heads of these. i've been using them continuously. i've got them all throughout my house, holding all my hats, because my wife and i both wear hats. walberg: considering how many hats we've seen john wear already i can only imagine how many hats he means when he says "throughout my house." oh, that looks good on me. i love that. tell me about the chairs. when i first saw them, i immediately thought milo baughman, but when i flipped them over there was no tag on it. what did you say you were looking for? for the pair i think it was $685. this being late in the day and it'd be better to lug less home. lug less home indeed especially in the heat my friend. exactly. john: he tipped his hand. you never tell a dealer that somebody like me. i'm going to be dead honest with you because i don't know who they are.

they're brown, not black which kind of limits their salability. i don't want to spend more than $300 for the pair. well, since i like your vest... (laughing) i'll take three for them. you'll take three for the pair? at $300, i'll do that. that'll work. walberg: the expression may be "clothes make the man," but in john's case clothes make the deal. this isn't the first time the affinity a dealer has for part of john's wardrobe helped get him a better price. how much are your glasses? oh, aren't these fun? they are. i like your bracelet. well, thank you. i appreciate your business. thank you. it's all because of the vest i know that, of course. great minds think alike, you know. john: i love these chairs. they're classic art deco skyscraper design. these would be perfect in my living room. imagine that lamp i bought today coming up between these two chairs a cool cocktail table down here, some magazines on it you drink in the evening while you're reading. oh man, that's just home that's heaven. walberg: john has a habit of flaunting his achilles' heel

without even knowing it. suggesting what he buys would look good in his living room makes you wonder if he's buying for himself or a likely pool of bidders. this is my living room. this is like going home. all that's missing are my cats and my wife. walberg: let's listen to what he says this time one more time. these would be perfect in my living room. oh, man, that's just home. walberg: remember, john just told us what says home to him: a house filled with mannequins wearing his hats. but does that say home to potential bidders? john: i want to go see if we can find a functional coffee table now. a noguchi style with the amoeba shape and the glass top. if i can find a table like that... the chairs, the lamp and a table, i got a whole living room suite for somebody ready to rock and roll. walberg: it takes a certain kind of confidence to think a bidder would be looking to furnish an entire living room at an auction, but if you think john was kidding, why is he on the hunt for the missing piece to his dream ensemble, as if he's shopping at a department store?

how you doing, folks? i'm john. who are you? i'm lee. lee, john, you're... nichelle. nice to meet you, john. nice to meet you guys. john: i'm trying to find a cocktail table right now. walberg: maybe the heat's getting to him, and not in a sexy marilyn way. do you have anything like that? no. you do have that don't you? that's very neat. did it come out of a building, or...? actually, they come out of a school. john: a school? man, that's just fabulous. what are you asking for the pair of lamps? nichelle: i have $95 each on them. if you did both, i could do both for $150. i have to think about that. i want to see if i can get the table first, but if i can't this could work. okay. if i can't find a cocktail table i may home in on those lamps. they're screaming "la, new york, industrial mid-century." hold... on. what is this? if only it were glass. that's what we're looking for. walberg: it's reassuring to know not any kidney-shaped mid-century modern coffee table

will do. even john's fantasy ensemble has its standards. i'm back. oh, god... (nichelle laughing) you guys dying in the heat like we are? lee: oh, it's rough. actually, it's pretty cool under here. under here, yeah this is beautiful. and i'm back to your industrial lamps. nichelle: i said i'd do them both for, um, $175. walberg: i don't think that's right. let's hear what she quoted john again. nichelle: i could do both for $150. walberg: most everyone is prone to memory lapses when remembering prices in this heat. i love you to death. (laughing) okay. but i really need them to be around $75. for the pair. for the pair? yeah. how about we meet in the middle at $100? $100 for the pair? $100 for the pair. i love it. we're both happy. yeah, that works that works. what beautiful people, young people excited to be in the business, getting into it full time.

nichelle: i love the selling. it just gives me joy to know someone loves the things just as much as i do. john: i found two cool lamps and i'm really, really happy. i can see those in a kitchen in a bar room, and you got some groovy light happening. walberg: let's review all the items and what the pickers spent. here are miller's lots: a chandelier a marilyn monroe thermometer and a pair of yellow patio chairs. john's lots are comprised of a modern chrome floor lamp a pair of chrome and leather chairs and a pair of metal pendant light fixtures. kevin's lots include modern chrome lamps, a carl sorensen bowl and a book of movie posters. bob's lots consist of a chrome floor lamp a curved chrome headboard and a mid-century modern wooden slat table.

now it's on to los angeles where all of their items will be sold at abell auctions. the auction house is filling up with bidders from the la area. they include dealers trying to buy low to flip these antiques and 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, but before they do do any of them have buyer's remorse or do they think any of their opponents should have buyer's remorse? let's find out. not so sure about the chandelier but i love the thermometer. oh, marilyn's sizzling. the thermometer says "some like it hot," but yet her dress is from seven year itch. seems like the maker was a little confused. no, no, i like it because that's going to attract more collectors. there you go good comeback. you're going to get both movie audiences. i saw that same piece that you're calling a headboard and i just couldn't figure out what to do with it. well, my designer's eye took over. i have a million ideas. i think it could be a great bar, i think it could be bar. a great table.

exactly; there's a million uses for it. walberg: this is the moment we've been waiting for. remember, as the winners of the bonus round, miller and kevin are starting off with $50 in the black. all right, here we go. all right, now we're selling the book of movie posters that angel's holding straight in front of you guys. on the movie posters ten for the movie posters? no interest, huh? five, ten, now $15. i have ten in the back now $15 for the lot. $15, now $20. $20, now $25, sir. $20's on my far left now $25. $30, now $40. kevin: all right. i'll take it. $40, how about $50? $50, now $60. oh, yeah. $60, how about $70? $60, last chance at $70, you're all out? perfect. sold for $60 to buyer 687. sweet. that's awesome. all right, we have a metal fixture here. just buy it as a metal fixture. can you call it a chandelier, please? (chuckles) five, ten, now $15, $20, $25, $30. yes! there you go. $40, sir... $40 way on my left now $50, yes or no?

way in the corner, sold for $40, buyer is 846-- thank you. you better send him a thank you letter. yeah, really. (chuckling) on this swivel lamp here. ten for the chrome lamp? ten for it? no interest? i have ten to start it. $20, $30, $40, now $50. now $50, guys-- $40, $50 now $60. $60, i have $50 in the third row, now $60. you're making money. $60-- any advance for the lamp? sold, $50. made some money. i have to admit, i wasn't 100% confident in that lamp. this is the two-part modern lamp here. we do have the marble base that goes with it that james is holding. that's very sleek. how much for the modern lamp? let's start at ten dollars. ten dollars? ten, now $20, $30, how about $40? $50's on my right, now $60? yes or no. kevin: hey, you're up. for a modern lamp, awfully cheap, $50, now $60, $60, how about $70? oh, he's jumping. he's got an aggressive buyer there. $70, yes or no? i have $60 on my left. now $70 for this modern piece? come

on, come on. guess that's all we're going to do. sold, $60, buyer 7009. all right, small profit. okay. all right. on the mid-century modern slat bench here. here you go. i have ten dollars to start it i got ten, $20 now $30, $40, $50, how about $60? $60, now $70, $70, $80 $80's way in the back, now $90. keep going. a contemporary slat bench. $80, last chance at $90? please! sold, $80 to you, sir. very good. kevin: $50 profit. all right, on the woven yellow chairs. those are nice. ten dollars for the open arm chairs. i have ten, now $20, how about $30, sir? $30, now $40, $30, how about $40 for the chairs? $40 way in the back, now $50. $40, now $50? sold for $40, way in the back. whoa!

ten dollars. oh, let's see these. oh the chrome modern set, two assorted, we'll sell them as. $50 for the two assorted. i have $50, now $75. $75, now $100. $100, sir? for modern lamps, $100 now $125, yes or no? once, twice, third and last time, no $125? guess that's all i'm going to get. sold, $100 on my right. whoa! (groans) crash and burn. oh, that's horrible. they're kind of dated for today. all right, take a look at these good-looking fixtures here. we have the shades attached to them. how much for the fixtures? on my left, straight in front of you guys, $50 for the two fixtures. $50 for them not worth it? ten for the two fixtures here? oh, come on! i have ten as an opening bid for two modern fixtures. ten, $20, thank you, now $30. they're flimsy. $30, now $40, no? $30, last chance. sold, $30. crash and burn, too. talk about crash and burn, yeah.

you've got some fierce competition. you do too. yeah it's going to be real interesting. look out. on the two modern, what, chromed and leather chairs $50 to start it for the pair. $50 for the pair, now $60. $60, how about $70? $70, now $80. this is for the modern chairs, come on-- $70, $80. $80, now $90? $80's in the front row, now $90? it's $40 apiece for these chairs. $80, now $90, last chance. oh, come on. you're all through. sold, $80 in the front row buyer 687, is that right? oh, give me a break. oh, you got crushed. oh! oh! oh! all right, starting off on this round modern headboard, all chrome. how much to start the headboard for your round bed? $50 to start it. no interest at $50? anyone want to take a shot? thank you, i have ten as an opening bid, now $20.

$20, how about $30? $30, now $40? $40, yes or no? i have a $30 bid on my right now $40? nope? sold, $30 to buyer 1705. (groans) kevin: five-dollar loss? can you believe you lost five dollars? all right, on the carl sorensen bowl here being held up, on the sorensen bowl. ten for the bowl, any interest in the bowl at all? five for the bowl. no one needs a bowl, huh? five, now ten, $15, $20, $20, now $25. now $25, any advance for the sorensen bowl? sold on my far left for $20. okay. wow. don't be so quick to point we're all burning. it's getting hot in here. it's getting very hot. on this marilyn monroe some like it hot thermometer. interesting collectible piece here. anyone want to start it for ten dollars to start the bidding? i don't know... ten, now $20, $30, how about $40? $40's way in the back. $50, now $60.

$60, sir, yes or no? nope. down. i have $50 in the front. $60, now $70. $70, how about $80? $80, now $90? really? $90, yes or no? $90, now $100. $100, $125. please start fanning me down. $100, how about $125 any advance? (chuckles) sold for $100. hey, all right. wow, it's close, miller. walberg: and the winner is... miller gaffney. yes! wow! yay! i told you... congratulations. whoo! i knew it was going to happen, my first win. these boys can't handle it that i won. it's about time that they start giving me some credit here. can you handle it? i need a fan, please. don't play it too much. don't overplay it. bob, the chrome headboard for the right customer may have been a really nice piece. problem being is, how many people walk into an auction that have a round bed that need a chrome headboard? john, the reason the chrome and leather

chairs didn't do as well as we would have hoped those pieces are something that we see here every single week. they have a good look to them, but those chairs unfortunately are a dime a dozen here. kevin's lamps, that same lamp from the '50s would have hit here, but because it was probably a '70s or '80s reproduction, it falls flat. and they did. market warriors was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from: hade. it was a neat combination of an antique lamp with the chrome which kind of gave it an updated feeling and yet the shade was kind of a romantic touch. it was a soft shade. and the way the chrome was on the lamp, it gave it a little touch of a modern

feel. sold, $50, buyer 146. and i was happy with the price that i got. i think i'm going to use it in a setting to display with the chaise lounge i have. i bought two chrome and brown leather chairs today. what attracted me to the chairs were the chrome frame and the brown leather upholstery on it. you all through? sold, $80 in the front row buyer 687, is that right? i think i did fantastic! (laughing) i bought them for a very good deal. i've seen them go much higher in previous auctions. my son has a new house, and i thought these chrome chairs would look nice in a modern home. i hope my son will enjoy it very much. i'm sure he will. is it okay if i look at your photo albums? yes. thank you. i always try to look at photo albums everywhere i go. i've found some great photos in photo albums. check out this photo. this is an old photo of a whole woman fencing team. how cool is that? and then this one back here is great.

i mean, you have probably a kid who was a soldier, amputee probably from the civil war. unbelievable, but again, i'm going to see what i can find out there. we have time to go shop, so we're going to go shop. what is it, evel knievel? yeah, evel knievel lunchbox. oh, yeah. even got the original $3.99 sticker on there. holy moly. look at the cars that you see on there. that's really cool. this is actually 1974. everybody loves evel. that's right. broke every bone in his body. yeah, every kid had the... (zooming) see that big scar? yeah. jump on the ramps, did an evel knievel thing. trying to impress the girls. when you're looking at a chair you want to make sure that it's worn in all the right places, so you're looking to make sure that it would be worn on the arm, which this is-- it has wear-- or that the back is rubbed in the right spot, and this is. look on the stretchers because children especially would put their feet up on this.

it has wear in the right places on the tapestry. this isn't new needlepoint piece. people spend a lot of time making a chair look old because there's a huge price difference between a reproduction and an antique chair. announcer: available now from shop pbs... woman: male, adult. must have been in there a couple of weeks. buried with some ceremony. this is incredible. the dagger and the flame. is that a clue? lewis: i want facts, i want evidence. get it sorted, robbie, now. announcer: to order, visit shop pbs or you can download on itunes. i came to america almost 21 years ago. i am a chef; i cook for a living. and i always felt through cooking, through dishes, through the stories of my mother

and my grandmother and the story of spain i could be a bridge to unite both cultures both countries. and my tv show on pbs allows me to find that common ground. that's what makes pbs special and unique. i think of pbs as a window to the world. that kind of place where you feel you are part of the story. i want to be part of every possible world that's out there. you will be watching pbs and not only see yourself, but you will be able to see beyond the mirror, and that's when things become really, really amazing. and when you are able to see stories that make you wonder make you think that's what really makes pbs so meaningful. and that's the kind of tv we need to be supporting today.

made by mpt to serve all of our diverse communities and is made possible by the generous support of our members. thank you. >> live from maryland public television, this is direct connection with jeff salkin. >> hi, everybody. thanks for tuning in for direct connection. later in the program tonight, new success in collecting child support payments in maryland. we will hear from maryland's secretary of human resources coming up. first tonight, a colorful career drawn mostly in black ink. joining us is cartoonist and enemy of politicians everywhere, calvin "cal" califer. >> glad to be here. >> everyone has seen your work around the world for what

you've done with the economist. here's an example that happens to be a ravens-themed cartoon. it's not new, but suddenly relevant again. talk about what the editorial cartoonist does. what were you trying to do in this piece? >> the thing about an editorial cartoonist is you wear many hats. sometimes you're covering serious things, and there are other things where you see cartoon elements, the humor element to engage the audience. when you have a super bowl pending like we do now, nothing grabs attention like a cartoon on that subject. this ran on super bowl sunday the last time the ravens won. >> i took this off the website. i especially like the dog. >> it is great. it's loosely modeled on my father who is an ardent armchair ravens supporter and very animated as well. and in this cartoon, it speaks

to lots of people who will be watching the game on sunday. >> you're working on a new book, a collection of cartoons, and you're doing something really interesting in producing the book through something called kickstarter. what are you working on? >> this april, i will be celebrating my 35th year with the economist magazine in london. >> you started at age 15. >> actually younger than that. with them, i've doarch 4,000 cartoons and 140 covers. the magazine is read around the -- i've done over 4,000 cartoons and 140 covers. the magazine is read around the world. >> we can put up some of your well-known covers from the economist. and it's a different audience because it's global. >> and it's a sophisticated audience. >> and nothing says sophistication like this color.

>> that's right. and unfortunately, the economist has about half of its circulation in the u.s. >> people may notice you have a pen and pad with you. i've seen you talk to groups, which is a lot of fun. i know you can talk and draw at the same full-time when we talk about today's politicians, who's easy to draw, when a you're drawing somebody, are you trying to caricature them? >> caricature is a loaded term. most people think of somebody who's taking the physical features of somebody and blowing them out of proportion for the purpose of human. but i have this quote from a famous italian renaissance close tore life than reality itself. >> i have a sense of where

you're going. i've seen the ears. >> when a politician is in office, the longer they're in office, the more comfortable a cartoonist gets in their face, but the cartoon-consuming audience get used to them, so you can play and do more things. as we're look forward to 4 more years of barack obama, i feel i'm just beginning to get a handle on his face. i'm looking forward to how i'll be able to play with it over the next 4 years. >> when you look at the work other car tinnists are doing, are there similarities? does everyone synthesize one caricature of the president? >> there's a body of work for many people that is kind of similar. i prefer to have my cartoons evolve as i see the face.