Treasure Found? The IRS Wants a Cut!
💰 Treasure Found? The IRS Wants a Cut!
By: Daveed Tuck, Anvil Tax 🎬 Watch the Video:
🏴☠️ The IRS and Taxable Income
Every kid dreams of finding a chest full of gold coins. But when that dream comes true, the IRS is waiting. The real pirates aren’t hiding on tropical islands — they’re sitting behind desks, wearing badges that say Internal Revenue Service.
🌊 The Treasure Coast Discovery
This summer, divers off Florida’s Treasure Coast uncovered over 1,000 gold and silver coins from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck — a haul worth around $1 million.
But here’s what most people don’t realize: the IRS considers that treasure taxable income.
📜 The Law Behind It: Cesarini v. United States (1969)
In Cesarini v. United States, a couple bought a used piano and found $4,467 hidden inside. The IRS required them to report it as income — and the court agreed.
When you find treasure and it becomes legally yours, it’s taxable the moment you take possession.
⚖️ Florida’s Unique Rules
In Florida, any finds made in state waters legally belong to the state first. The government usually keeps about 20% for museums or preservation. The remaining 80% goes to the finders — and the IRS taxes that share based on its fair market value, not just melt value.
Historical and collector value count, too.
⛽ Costs, Deductions, and Hobby Rules
Treasure hunting isn’t cheap — boats, divers, fuel, and gear all add up.
If you run it as a business with a profit motive, your costs may offset the income. If it’s a hobby, you can’t deduct losses against other income.
Charitable option? Donate part of your find to a museum and claim a deduction — but you still must first report the treasure as income.
🌍 International Complications
Because these coins originated from Spain, questions of ownership can cross borders. That means treaties, diplomats, and attorneys — not pirates — decide who keeps what.
💡 The Takeaway
If the government can value it, the IRS can tax it. Whether it’s buried treasure, game-show winnings, or cash in an old sofa, it all lands on Form 1040 as “Other Income.”
For 300 years, the Spanish fleet hid from storms and smugglers. But in the end, the most efficient treasure hunters were the tax collectors.
🧭 Planning Beats Panic
If you’ve stumbled on a valuable find — literal or financial — don’t guess your way through the taxes. Get the value right, get the reporting right, and get the strategy right.
📞 Call Daveed Tuck
As a former IRS auditor and founder of Anvil Tax, I help divers, collectors, and everyday taxpayers keep more of what they find — and stay off the audit radar.
📍 X may mark the spot, but the IRS still marks the income.
Before your treasure turns into a tax trap, call Anvil Tax.
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Finding treasure doesn’t mean instant wealth — it means taxable income. Former IRS auditor Daveed Tuck explains how treasure troves, shipwreck coins, and found cash are taxed — and what you can do to plan ahead.