Does anyone here know a Lithuanian antique arms dealer named Mindaugas Simkunas? He operates his own company/website under the name “karabela” (http://www.karabela-arms.com/) and also sells on eBay under the name “karabelaii”.

The reason I ask is to let everyone know that I am currently in the process of hiring a lawyer through the U.S. Consulate in Lithuania and I am also contacting the Lithuanian Heritage Department to seek assistance in forcing Mr. Simkunas to refund nearly $9,500 he owes me for two antique helmets I purchased from him in September 2014, both of which he has failed to deliver. Since November 2014 Mr. Simkunas has been putting me off, telling me repeatedly that shipment of the helmets would be very soon, then saying that he couldn’t obtain the location of the helmets from the shipping company and finally, claiming that he discovered in February that the helmets are being held by the Italian Heritage Authority and that they would be shipped to me in mid-March. He has refused to honor his promise to refund my money if I got tired of waiting despite my extremely emphatic requests since February 6th to him to do so. In the meantime the euro has depreciated against the dollar over the past ten months to the point that if Mr. Simkunas refunds only the 7,200 euros I paid him for the helmets last September, I will suffer a $1,400 loss. After giving him a final chance to make good on his delivery of the helmets by April 30th , which again he did not do, I demanded that he refund me in the dollars I spent in September 2014: $9,449.89. Again, he refused.

To provide some additional insight into Mr. Simkunas lack of character and ethics, I gave Mr. Simkunas approximately $15,500 in business since July 2014 IN ADDITION TO the $9,449.89 refund I have been requesting. So much for appreciation! Moreover, I recently discovered that Mr. Simkunas is knowingly selling fakes through both his e mail site “karabelaii” and also through e mail blasts to a list of clients; the most egregious example being a 19th century copy (described in Landshuter Rustkammer ‘s February 27/28 2015 auction catalog as such) of a 5-6th century spangenhelm-type helmet that Mr. Simkunas has been trying to sell, or in fact already sold, as genuine. Other examples of fakes include a “Medieval Knightly Sword” in fantastic condition offered at no reserve on eBay and sold in April for $2,025 and a 16th century “katzberger type” (his spelling) sword he sold on eBay in May for $660.

Should Mr. Simkunas attempt to argue the truth of what I say about him, I have retained copies of all my e mail correspondence with him that proves I'm not making any of this up.

I am curious as to whether any other collectors here know Mr. Simkunas, and if so, if you have found him to be as dishonest and unethical as I have. Perhaps I “came to the game” too late to know about an existing bad reputation of his?

While I’m on the subject, I sent ArmsandArmourAuctions.com an e mail regarding Mr. Simkunas’ shenanigans since they list him on their website as a dealer with a “Good selection of early edged weapons In Lithuania with contact offices in other European locations.” Of course, I offered them my e mail correspondence with Simkunas to prove the truth of my accusations since I don’t expect anyone to respond to mere innuendo. No reply whatsoever, so I sent them another e mail. Again I was totally ignored, which only leads to the conclusion that ArmsandArmourAuctions.com couldn’t care less about vetting any of the dealers they advertise on their website.

What disappoints me is that Simkunas doesn´t have an eBay site and he doesn´t sell all his swords there. Instead he sells them, some genuine, via his own website.

Good idea contacting the Consutate. This guy sounds like a real crook. I will pass this information along to everyone I know so they will know to stay clear of this guy.

Hi Eric

I bought a 17th century Polish winged hussars helmet and a 15th century Italian sword from Mindaugas Simkunas back in December 2014. It took until April 2015 for the sword to arrive, and the helmet never did arrive (by the way, I live in England).

There were a lot of emails back and forth over the 4 months or so that I was waiting, trying to find out what was going on with my items- I had sunk about £6,000 on these items and had received nothing. Mindaugas was the master of false hope- when he responded to emails he left me feeling hopeful, and genuinely believing each time that the items would be with me within a week or two..... It was only when the emails started to conflict and tell different stories that I started to have my doubts.

As I say, the sword eventually appeared, and it is a great item. The helmet never showed up, and he gave me a full refund in the end.

My feeling is that he is not dishonest, but is certainly incompetent, muddled and disorganised. He has some great items, but I would be very chary of dealing with him again, simply because the 4 months or so where my £6,000 was in limbo in Eastern Europe was a very stressful time.

As for your comments about some of his items being a bit fishy- I don't know a lot about that. The items I have bought I have been 100% happy with, but maybe other things he has are not so kosher.

I hope your situation resolves itself. Make sure you keep copies of all correspondence, and keep a timeline of all the promises and "delivery dates" he has given you. I found that issuing an ultimatum to him was the best way of getting my refund (I just said that I would claim it back through my credit card, and have him investigated for fraud. He paid up pretty sharp after that).

"My feeling is that he is not dishonest, but is certainly incompetent, muddled and disorganised. He has some great items, but I would be very chary of dealing with him again, simply because the 4 months or so where my £6,000 was in limbo in Eastern Europe was a very stressful time.

As for your comments about some of his items being a bit fishy- I don't know a lot about that. The items I have bought I have been 100% happy with, but maybe other things he has are not so kosher."


Thanks very much for your e mail Tom.

In addition to the three fake items I mentioned in my initial post (by the way, I copied-and-pasted the eBay ads and photos into Word documents for those three items and will be happy to PM them to you), please check out the "Rare European Gothic Sallet Helmet, 15th c." that Simkunas is currently offering on eBay as a genuine item for $4,999 "Buy It Now". An antique arms dealer friend of mine says that this sort of helmet, in this terrific condition, if genuine, could sell for over $40,000.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Rare-European-Gothi...3aaeec38bb

I'm seconding the suggestion of a chargeback -- hiring a lawyer (even in Lithuania) might end up being more expensive than the loss you'd take because of the difference in exchange rates.

Chargebacks are one of the few effective ways to deal with fraud or malfeasance in international transactions.

Hi , I m a very old client of Mindaugas . I read good all this page and I m very disappointed :( . I known him from years and is one of the most honest dealer I known . I bought really much pieces from him and I think usually quality is great ....
To be honest yes one time he delay 3 month for ship a medieval sword to my home but I received all documents of authority , exportation papers etc . Sometime authority I known blocked item to verify the cultural interest of them !
In this case I was very disappointed but then after received I see my sword and my papers ! I bought a sword and with legal provenence ! sometimes ebay and auction house too dont respect country low and propiety of the item is not really legal !

I think in full this is not a case of fraud etc .... and not for be friendly with Mindaugas but regarding fake items I really dont agree ! Auction house sometimes list genuine items like copy ! copy like genuine ! So I think this is a very problematic theme for all antique dealers. I see in London in a Top gallery and one of the most pumped seller olso in this forum much items like helmets and swords come from other auction and listed like victorian in auction but in his site and catalogue genuine and from 1000 sterling of catalogue request was 90000 sterling , And better let go all replicas artificially aged listed in the major auction house in UK USA and Italy .

This is all . I m not in this field, I m a banker and I have my experts I trust for buy objects for my collection and from Karabela I bought usual fine pieces .

Hope for Mr.Feder situation can be resolved ... I m sure Mindaugas refund money and I m really curius to speack with him tomorrow but I do not the case to trasform a business problem in a fraud and ruin the reputation of a onest person !

Eric, if you do not mind me asking, have you resolved your issue with Mindaugas Simkunas?

Nathan Morgan is likely neither Nathan, nor Morgan. That's just crude trolling, completely out of line on this site.