As a teenager I collected comic books. I have a dozen large boxes of comics. I never tracked exactly what I had, but 20 years ago I sorted the most valuable into a single box. I stored these casually in my basement for a long time. This summer I decided to catalog them to see what I actually have. I found that the box of most valuable comics was missing. I know it was in my possession when I moved to a new home 10 years ago. I have to suspect some contractor who was doing work in my home (we've had a few shady characters) stole that box. I don't even remember exactly what was in the box. However I am quite certain of two of the comics, two #1 issues in near mint condition. One is currently worth $20,000 (if the condition was certified), the other worth $12,000. I believe I had many other valuable comics there (though it is not completely certain which ones) bringing the value of the whole box to $50,000 - $100,000. I discovered the items missing in 2018. I am wondering if I can claim a deduction for the theft loss on schedule A for my 2018 return, and if so, for how much, and what would I need to do to make this valid and stand up to legitimate IRS scrutiny. Thanks for the wisdom!
