You were right about the rust Wayward, the handle wasn't iron at all. It is cut out of flat metal, some grade of steel I guess. A magnet sticks to it and it was covered with rust. You can see the cut marks on the sides of the handle. The handle "supports" are the same kind of metal, but they are some kind of round stock, with the ends flattened out.
I think this is antique and handmade. The copper is all hand hammered and it is tinned or zinc coated (not quite sure how to tell) on the inside of the bowl, you can really see it now that it is clean. I think they quit doing that in the thirties when they found out it was harmful to cook in it. Compare the first and second photos below.
Take a look at the third photo below, the tin is wearing through to the copper below the fish, and the fish is very worn down, the designs on the walls of the bowl are visible above the fish, but worn away on the rest of it.
A magnet does not stick to the copper or tin sides of the bowl. The edges are folded over, just like they are on the old brass bedwarmer I have, and very irregular. The whole pan is pretty irregular in shape too.
Here is the copper side after cleaning. I still need to get some rust remover on the handle, but I'm really pleased with how it came out. There was a pretty unbelieveable amount of tarnish and dirt on this. Looks good hanging over the meat safe!
Here is the tinned side:
Up close on Mr. Fish, note the wear to the design on the top wall, the fish and the copper coming through the tin. You can also get a look at the silvery metal of the handle now. Definitly not iron.
