Bit of a Creepy Legal Question...

[BobC]

You're actually better off talking to a CPA that does estate planning and has actually prepared federal gift tax and federal estate tax returns. I don't remember how many times I've worked with clients and attorneys to do estate planning and such, and ended up having to keep correcting the attorneys and have them change/re-write estate planning documents or re-think what they were proposing to our mutual clients because what they suggested wouldn't work, or wasn't what our clients wanted.

Go back and re-read Smarti's post. He's covered all the basics and high points and is right on the money. His comment about the fact that gifting your collection instead of letting your heirs inherit it makes a huge difference to your family in that if you gift your cards to them, they get your carryover tax basis in the collection. If you instead let them inherit the collection, under current law they get a stepped-up tax basis equal to the FMV of the collection as of the day you pass away. That can be a huge tax difference to them.

The one big thing I would immediately advise is to not just look at your collection by itself. You really need to look at ALL your assets, marital status, family situation, and so on, to best determine the most appropriate way to handle everything overall, and to get the most favorable tax outcome that you want, as well as taking care of your family. Your collection is just a part of your overall estate. To begin even doing this will require some up-front homework on your part, namely sitting down and coming up with a list of everything you have, along with approximate current FMVs for everything.

I could keep going, but I get crap from some people on the forum for writing too much when trying to give thorough, accurate, and complete as possible tax related responses and advice. If you want to talk further, PM me. Would be much better/easier doing this off forum.