Between 1905 and 1907, my grandfather was stationed in Leyte in the
Phillipines (although he may have visited Manila).  He
brought home as a souvenir what he called a "toothpick holder", a
small
metal cup, about 3" tall, mostly cylindrical but slightly wider at the
top, no handles, brass or bronze (not shiny, but fairly dark), with 2
dragons in relief circling around it.  What is this and what would the
original use have been?  Where can I find something like this?  (I
have been unable to find anything similar on the web, because I don't
know what description to search for. "Antique brass Oriental cup" or
"vase" or "toothpick holder" never turn up anything that resembles
it.)

Sorry, but I don't have the piece.  It was lost sometime before my
mother died, about 10 years ago.  I'm trying to determine what it was
so that I can find something equivalent to replace it.  Incidentally,
I don't believe it had much intrinsic value - just sentimental value.

Hello lynbard,
I showed your question to a friend here in the Philippines, and he
thinks it most likely that the little cup came from Mindanao. A lot of
bronze artisans were found there, and even today, they are still
active. Since your grandfather was stationed in Leyte, which is not
far from Mindanao, it's possible that the cup was brought into Leyte
through trading or something, and your grandfather found it at one of
those dealers of artisan products. It's unfortunate that with the Abu
Sayyaf still running around, and with the recent rash of bombings, you
will be discouraged from going there and requesting a new cup (if at
all!).

My friend also thinks it's unlikely that you will find anything
similar on the Internet, though I will attempt to find one. I'll see
if there's something in Manila.

Hope this info was helpful.

This may not give you too much info but I know that some asain people
use something call earpicks. They serve the same function as our
Q-tips but are made of wood and are made to take wax out of the ear
canal. Maybe it was used for that purpose. Hope this might spur some
other ideas.