Some number of years ago I was given this short sward that came from Africa, It's old with a hand tooled ivory handle with 3 gold rings at the base of the hilt. The blade looks to be black iron but in 20 years has shown no rust in the Florida high humidity. I was later told that it wasn't black iron but the metal was melted down from a meteorite which has a lot of nickel in it. It's also mildly magnetic. The covering is made from two seed pods joined together. This just has to be a weapon for some high ranking chief. Does anyone know what this might be? I've looked and wondered for too many years. Thanks for any help. Tom

What little I know of swordmaking is that the shape of the blade is more indicative of origin than material. Leaf shaped Ida blades from West Africa are very different from the straight bladed kaskara of eastern Sahel or the takouba from Tuareg. Any way to post a pic?

A picture would sure help. If it was made from a meteorite it would be extremely heavy, not something you want in a sword.

Yes, while my expertise is Chinese and Japanese swords, it is possible that some research can be done. Again, can you come back, click answer the question and try to post a photo

Thanks guys. I'll try to get a picture up this week end. I was told the blade and tang was cast out of a meteorite by a geology major and the reason it doesn't rust is the nickel contract. The blade isn't heavy an d is about a foot long. It's mildly magnetic. The handle is hand tooled elephant tusk and is a work of art. Two large seed pods from a treemake up the scabbard. Photos to follow. TRhanks for your time and interest. Tom