What kind of electronic device is this?

That would be an inductor with a resistor style color code.

Here's a picture from that Wikipedia page showing some similar 100 µH axial lead inductors:

Vahid alpha at English Wikipedia CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It seems very likely that it is a small-value inductor.

There is an open-source LCR meter available from dozens of vendors on Ebay for USD 15~20. Quite ingenious, dirt cheap, and excellent for identifying not only what a mystery component is, but also measuring all the key parameters. (Like inductance and series resistance for your inductor, for example.) Recommended for anyone who recycles electronic components.

Search for "Transistor Tester Diode Triode inductor Capacitance ESR Meter LCR" There are many to chose from.

This is what a 10mH looks like. BRN-BLK-BLK

Since there are so many turns, it looks fat. The resistance determines how many mA can be passed thru with DC for filtering purposes in a low noise LC LPF supply.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/inductors-coils-chokes/fixed-inductors/196627?k=&pkeyword=&pv7=3&pv19=90&FV=fff40003%2Cfff80013&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=500