Mike, there's nothing wrong with your knife. Perhaps, the top end of the handle was once covered with copper or brass. But I have seen similar knives without copper, too.
Talking about handles, here's a nice one. It comes from the Songye-tribe in Congo. Someone once told me these particular knives were used in ceremonies surrounding circumcission.
It's a big knife to use for that purpose
The handle is made from wood and depicts the torso and head of a typical Songye statue. The blade has some nice engravings on both sides. I have seen similar knives before and almost all have only a Songye head as handle. This one is a bit different.
The blade measures 18 cm. Total length is 33 cm. And...it's quite sharp !
