Art and Collectibles: Valuing Charitable Donations (2025 IRS Guide)

This guide covers “Art and Collectibles” within valuing charitable donations. The following material presents the IRS treatment of this topic, including the qualifications, exceptions, and examples in the source section. Read the rules alongside the facts of your own situation before deciding what to report, deduct, or document.

Adapted from Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property, published by the Internal Revenue Service. This guide retains the source edition’s years, amounts, deadlines, and examples. It is guidance for that edition, not a statement that the same figures apply to every tax year.

Art and Collectibles

Your income tax charitable contribution donation of art and collectibles for which you claim a deduction of more than $5,000 must be supported by a qualified appraisal and a Form 8283. See Qualified Appraisal, later.

Art valued at $20,000 or more.

If you claim a deduction of $20,000 or more for an income tax charitable contribution donation of art, you must attach the qualified appraisal for the art to the Form 8283. A photograph of a size and of sufficient quality fully showing the object, preferably a high-resolution digital image, must be provided if requested.

Art valued at $50,000 or more.

If you donate an item of art that has been appraised at $50,000 or more, you can request a Statement of Value for that item from the IRS. You must request the statement before filing the tax return that reports the donation. Your request must include the following.

• A copy of a qualified appraisal of the item. See Qualified Appraisal, later.

• A user fee of $8,400 for one to three items and $800 for each additional item paid through Pay.gov. A payment confirmation will be provided to you through the Pay.gov portal and you should submit the payment confirmation with your Statement of Value request.

• A completed Form 8283, Section B.

• The location of the IRS territory that has examination responsibility for your return.

If your request lacks essential information, you will be notified and given 30 days to provide the missing information.

Send your request to:

Internal Revenue Service/Appeals
Attn: Art Appraisal Services
Request for Statement of Value
1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Room 3615
Washington, DC 20224-0002

Refunds.

You can withdraw your request for a Statement of Value at any time before it is issued. However, the IRS will not refund the user fee if you do.

If the IRS declines to issue a Statement of Value in the interest of efficient tax administration, the IRS will refund the user fee.

Art.

Because many kinds of art may be the subject of a charitable donation, it is not possible to discuss all of the possible types in this publication. Most common are paintings, sculptures, watercolors, prints, drawings, ceramics, antiques, decorative arts, textiles, carpets, silver, rare manuscripts, and historical memorabilia. If you own both the art and the copyright to the art, in some cases your charitable contribution deduction may be denied unless you donate both the art and its copyright.

Authenticity.

The professional appraiser should use reasonable due diligence to determine or confirm the authenticity of a donated artwork. This due diligence may include verifying whether the artwork is included in the relevant catalogue raisonné (a scholarly listing of all known works by a specific artist), has an assigned foundation number when relevant, is included in a comprehensive online archive, or whether the artwork has an accompanying certificate of authenticity from a recognized authority or expert on the artist.

Physical condition.

The physical condition and extent of restoration are both relevant in determining the valuation of art and antiques. These factors should be addressed in the appraisal. An antique in damaged condition lacking the "original brasses" may be worth much less than a similar piece in excellent condition.

Collectibles.

Because many kinds of collectibles may be the subject of a charitable donation, it is not possible to discuss all of the possible types in this publication. Most common are rare books, autographs, sports memorabilia, dolls, manuscripts, stamps, coins, guns, gems, jewelry, music and entertainment memorabilia, comics, toys, and natural history items.

Reference material.

Publications available to help you determine the value of many kinds of collections include catalogs, dealers’ price lists, and specialized hobby periodicals. When using one of these price guides, you must use the current edition at the date of contribution.

Caution:

These sources are not always reliable indicators of FMV and should be supported by other evidence.

For example, a dealer may sell an item for much less than is shown on a price list, particularly after the item has remained unsold for a long time. The price an item sold for in an auction may have been the result of a rigged sale. The appraiser must analyze the reference material and recognize and make adjustments for misleading entries. If you are claiming an income tax charitable contribution deduction for the donation of a collection valued at more than $5,000, you must obtain a qualified appraisal and complete a Form 8283.

Gems and jewelry.

Gems and jewelry are of such a specialized nature that it is almost always necessary to get an appraisal by a specialized jewelry appraiser. The appraisal should describe, among other things, the style of the jewelry, the cut and setting of the gem, and whether it is now in fashion. The stone’s coloring, weight, cut, brilliance, and flaws should be reported and analyzed. Sentimental personal value has no effect on FMV. But if the jewelry was owned by a famous person, its value might increase. If you had the jewelry made, the labor costs you incurred in having it made may have little or no effect on its FMV. GIA certificates and color photos should be included in jewelry appraisals.

Stamp collections.

Most libraries have catalogs or other books that report the publisher’s estimate of values. Generally, two price levels are shown for each stamp: the price postmarked and the price not postmarked. Contact an appraiser for assistance with properly valuing stamp collections.

Coin collections.

Many catalogs and other reference materials show the writer’s or publisher’s opinion of the value of coins on or near the date of the publication. Like many other collectors’ items, the value of a coin depends on the demand for it, its age, and its rarity. Another important factor is the coin’s condition. For example, there is a great difference in the value of a coin that is in mint condition and a similar coin that is only in good condition.

Use caution when consulting price guides for coins as only a trained grader can distinguish the difference between various Mint State grades and circulated grades including extremely fine, very fine, fine, very good, good, fair, or poor. The difference in value between one grade and another could be vast.

Books.

The value of books is usually determined by selecting comparable sales and adjusting the prices according to the differences between the comparable sales and the item being evaluated. This can be difficult to do and, except for a collection of little value, should be done by a specialized appraiser.

Modest value of collection.

If the collection you are donating is of modest value, not requiring a written appraisal, the following information may help you in determining the FMV.

A book that is very old or very rare is not necessarily valuable. There are many books that are very old or rare but that have little or no market value.

Condition of book.

The condition of a book may have a great influence on its value. Collectors are interested in items that are in fine, or at least good, condition. When a book has a missing page, a loose binding, tears, or stains, or is otherwise in poor condition, its value is greatly lowered.

Other factors.

Some other factors in the valuation of a book are the kind of binding (leather, cloth, paper), page edges, and illustrations (drawings and photographs). Collectors usually want first editions of books. However, because of changes or additions, other editions are sometimes worth as much as or more than the first edition.

Manuscripts, autographs, diaries, and similar items.

When these items are handwritten, or at least signed by famous people, they are often in demand and are valuable. However, the noteworthiness of an author is not the only determining factor; the writings of unknown or obscure authors may also be of value if they are of unusual historical or literary importance. Determining the value of such material is difficult. For example, there may be a great difference in value between two diaries that were kept by a famous person—one kept during childhood and the other during a later period in their life. The appraiser determines a value in these cases by applying knowledge and judgment to such factors as comparable sales and market conditions.

Using the guidance

Keep the documents that establish the dates, amounts, and circumstances described above. References to other chapters, forms, worksheets, or earlier and later sections refer to the linked IRS publication. Check the full publication and its updates before relying on a rule for a different tax year or a situation not addressed here.

Sources and further reading

• Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property: Valuation of Various Kinds of Property — Art and Collectibles — Internal Revenue Service; 2025 edition.

The cited U.S. government text is in the public domain. Source accessed October 28, 2026. Fynoptic has organized this material for educational use and is independent of, and not endorsed by, the IRS.