When an item of personal property is stolen, what is typically considered its salvage value?

When an item of personal property is stolen, the salvage value typically refers to the amount that could be recovered from the item if it were sold for parts or scrap, rather than its full market value or replacement cost. In many cases, if an item has been stolen and is no longer in existence, it is considered to have a salvage value of zero. This is because there is no physical item left to sell, rendering its salvage potential non-existent.

The market value just before the theft represents what the item was worth prior to the incident, but that value does not equate to salvage since the item can no longer be recovered or sold. The cost to replace the item is also not relevant to salvage value, as it focuses more on what can be gained from an item rather than the expense of obtaining a new one. The insurance payout amount may compensate the insured for their loss, but it also does not correlate directly with an item’s salvage value upon theft. Thus, a salvage value of zero makes sense in the context of stolen property, emphasizing the absence of any recoverable worth once the item is no longer accessible.