Hi Cornelius,
Thank you so much for your both well documented and balanced arguments.
Still I beg to differ, my friend.
I have known my friend's collection and lived to see his prevailing competence in more than two decades of both museum and auction sales room discussions. I also posted parts of his collection here a while ago. My humble number of three edged weapons - ca. 1510, 1520-5 and 1600-10 in my opinion - , plus four fine hallberds dating of ca. 1500, 1530, 1540 and Styrian, ca,. 1580 - all came from his former collection. I acquired them in order to get a few best possible quality contemporary decorative completements corresponding to my firearms and accouterments based collection.
As I have here stated more than once I do no claim any expertise on the field of edges weapons although never ceasing to point out both repeatedly and insistantly from the art historian's point of view that both are based on the same formal and decorative elements - along with all other contemporary arts and crafts alike of course - and are therefore essentially vital in judging all contemporary works of art correctly.
Considering the latter it should be kept in mind as a commonly accepted fact that architecture, paintings and sculpture used to be among the forerunners of a new style while ironworks and - after a considerably long interval - weapons usually were the latest products to adopt the new style and, in consequende, surrender to another afterwards ...
Best regards from Bavaria,
Michael