personal prayer wheel Q

[onekiwi0]

my elderly friend is clearing her sisters belongings.  her sis travelled to india nepal china japan etc ..and she has found a personal prayer wheel that looks recent, could even have been a gift. 

anything we should look for to see that it is of value?...I don't even know if its buddist or japanese and my friend is unsure whether to donate to charity or onsell it. 

any helpful hints would be appreciated.  apologies I don't have a photo currently.  thanks

[kopenhagen5]

I have been looking to purchase one recently.

But there are many recently made ones for the tourist trade, not worth much.

However if it's a genuine early prayer wheel from Tibet or Nepal and in good condition with the paper prayers inside intact then they can fetch a pretty penny.

Ordinary tourist item - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TIBETAN-COPPER-BRASS-PRAYER-WHEEL-w-MANTRAS-GEMSTONES-II-/231541405783?ha...

Genuine antique - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tibet-Buddhist-Prayer-Wheel-Coral-Turquoise-Lapis-Bronze-Copper-9-Hand-He...

[onekiwi0]

thanks kopenhagen5, maybe this is a tourist one...I've attached a pic now I have it

[kopenhagen5]

That's a nice looking one.

Hard to say as it looks old but also newish made to look old.

If you can see some of the cracks or imperfections to see if they look old, otherwise prob a newish item.

What do the prayers inside the wheel look like? If it's old the paper will be yellowish with different tone at the edges especially where the edges are closest to the opening end.

If it's newish, it's certainly one of the better I have seen.

Won't be Japanese but more likely Nepalese or Chinese.