Note 2 - Finance Receivables (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended					0 Months Ended		0 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 05, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013 Second Lien Loan [Member] Revenue [Member] SynCardia Systems [Member]	Dec. 13, 2013 Second Lien Loan [Member] SynCardia Systems [Member]	Feb. 04, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Revenue [Member] Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Revenue [Member] SynCardia Systems [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Revenue [Member] Dental Products Company [Member]	Apr. 05, 2013 Bess Royalty [Member] Besivance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Marketable Securities [Member] Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Aug. 08, 2013 Marketable Securities [Member] Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Marketable Securities [Member] Dental Products Company [Member]	Aug. 08, 2013 Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Tribute Term Loan [Member]	Aug. 08, 2013 Tribute Term Loan [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 13, 2013 SynCardia Systems [Member]	Dec. 13, 2013 SynCardia Systems [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 10, 2013 Dental Products Company [Member]	Apr. 05, 2013 Besivance [Member]	Jun. 12, 2013 TRT [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 TRT [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 SWK Funding LLC [Member]	Dec. 05, 2012 SWK Funding LLC [Member]	Dec. 05, 2012 A Client of SWK Advisors [Member]
Note 2 - Finance Receivables (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			$ 22,500,000																				$ 6,500,000	$ 19,000,000	$ 3,500,000
Loan Commitment Assigned by Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Company	12,500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Rate Range, Minimum	16.00%
Loan Exit Fee Which the Lenders are Entitled to	2,000,000
Interest Income, Other	1,591,000			79,000			366,000	32,000	51,000											795,000		176,000
Accretion of Exit Fee	578,000
Financing Receivable, Net	29,286,000	6,500,000			6,000,000									8,000,000			16,000,000		6,000,000
Payments to Acquire Notes Receivable						2,000,000								6,000,000
Receivable with Imputed Interest, Effective Yield (Interest Rate)																13.50%		13.50%	14.00%
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding (in Shares)						347,222									755,794				225
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights (in Dollars per Share)						$ 0.432									$ 0.60
Warrants and Rights Outstanding	292,000										204,000	334,000	0
Fair Value Adjustment of Warrants	60,000						131,000
Payments to Acquire Finance Receivables	29,630,000	6,500,000															4,000,000
Finance Receivable, Maximum Facility Agreement Capacity																	22,000,000
Advances to Affiliates, Maximum Rights, Capacity																	1,500,000
Receivable with Imputed Interest, Discount																	60,000
Payments for Fees					90,000												40,000		60,000
Financing Receivable, Gross					10,000,000
Investment Owned, Balance, Shares (in Shares)					40,000
Investment Owned, Percent of Net Assets					0.05%
Total Cost of Royalty Stream																				15,000,000	2,000,000
Company Funded Royalty Stream																				6,000,000
Royalty Stream, Percentage																				40.3125%
Royalty Stream Contingent Consideration, Paid By Third Party										1,000,000
Royalty Stream Contingent Consideration, Liability																					$ 1,250,000	$ 1,250,000