>$14M estate tax that was based on the auction price

Key phrase: estate tax. This was a taxable transfer of property that someone didn't take to the grave.

In the UK it's called Inheritance Tax and is basically a 40% tax on your estate when you die. They add up everything, the house, vehicles, savings & shares, artworks and that is then taxable at 40% in most situations. This means generally you have to sell a lot of things to inherit anything valuable from your parents.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax

> Inheritance Tax is a tax on the estate (the property, money and possessions) of someone who’s died. > > There’s normally no Inheritance Tax to pay if either: > > the value of your estate is below the £325,000 threshold > > you leave everything above the £325,000 threshold to your spouse, civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club