Collectibles Tax Check

What it cost, in that country’s currency. US$, GBP, CAD, AUD or EUR, as the country above. No symbol needed.

Sale price or value, same currency. The price for a sale, the market value for a gift or at death.

Years held. A decimal is fine: 0.5 is six months.

Your ordinary income tax rate. Optional. Only for an item held a year or less.

Year it was bought. Tests the 20 September 1985 line.

The rules applied

Rate. Net long-term gain on collectibles is taxed at a maximum federal rate of 28%. Long-term means held more than one year. The tax falls on the gain, the sale price less what you paid. Tier A. IRS Topic 409; Schedule D instructions (2026). Article 317

Investment income tax. The 3.8% net investment income tax can apply on top above US$125,000, US$200,000 or US$250,000 of income, depending on filing status. Tier A. IRS (2026). Article 317

Swaps and buy-backs. A swap of one painting for another is taxable: like-kind exchange now covers real property only. The wash-sale rule is written for stocks and securities, not tangible collectibles. Report a sale on Form 8949. Tier A. IRS Instructions for Form 8949; 26 USC 1031 and 1091 (2026). Article 317

The rules applied. Tier A is an official text, B a professional or university summary, C one firm or trade source, U news or unverified. Amounts in other currencies are shown with a US$ equivalent at one rate per currency: EUR 1.10, GBP 1.30, CAD 0.72, AUD 0.65.

Three routes side by side. Article 318: with a gift the recipient takes the giver’s basis; with an inheritance the basis resets to the value at death. The gift gives up the reset. Estate tax is separate and starts above US$15,000,000.

What this leaves out. Your own ordinary rate unless you type it

What this leaves out. Which filing status applies to the 3.8% tax

What this leaves out. State income tax on a sale

What this leaves out. State estate and inheritance rates beyond the ones shown (Washington’s and New York’s thresholds are from the state departments; the rest are from one bank research arm)

What this leaves out. Whether a coin counts as a collectible or as bullion in your case

What this leaves out. Italy, Portugal and Spain are held until the primary texts are read: the Italian gold tax, the Portuguese stamp tax and the Spanish savings-base rates rest on tier B, C and U sources in the series (articles 321 and 345).

Where these rules come from. Articles 317 to 321, 340, 345 and 355 (stories 814 to 818, 837, 842, 852), checked in notes/collectibles-consistency-2026-10-12.md on 12 October 2026. This page adds no new research.

Where these rules come from