Catherine Southon’s career at Sotheby’s Bond Street and on Bargain Hunt is well documented, but her age and net worth remain absent from any official source. While her professional biography traces a clear path from auction house to television, the personal details fans search for most are kept deliberately private.
Children: 2 ·
TV debut (Bargain Hunt): 2006 ·
Auction house: Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (CSAV) ·
Profession: Auctioneer and BBC antiques expert
Quick snapshot
- Started her career at Sotheby’s Bond Street (Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (official biography))
- Has been a regular on TV antiques programmes from 2003 onward, per her official biography (Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (official biography))
- Mother of two children, according to her own social media bio (Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (official biography))
- Exact date of birth and age
- Net worth figure
- Illness claims that circulate online
- 2003: first TV appearances as an antiques expert (CSAV company history page)
- 2006: joined Bargain Hunt (CSAV company history page)
- 2012: established CSAV (CSAV company history page)
- Continues to hold regular auctions in Kent and Surrey
- Remains a familiar face on BBC antiques programming
Six facts, one pattern: her public identity splits cleanly between the television career viewers see and the auction business that funds it.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Catherine Southon |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Auctioneer, valuer, TV antiques expert |
| TV debut | 2006 (Bargain Hunt) |
| Auction house | Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (CSAV) |
| Known for | Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip |
How many children does Catherine Southon have?
Catherine Southon’s family life
- Two children: Southon describes herself as “mum to two not-so-littleones” on her X profile.
- No names published: She has not shared her children’s names or ages in any official source.
- Grown-up family: The wording of her bio implies both children are now adults.
The family detail comes from Southon’s own social media bio, where she keeps the description short and personal. That single line is the main public confirmation of her private life; no official biography or press profile has published anything further.
For Bargain Hunt viewers who mainly know her from the screen, the contrast is part of her appeal: she earns a living from public attention while keeping family matters off the record, a balance that is still unusual in the antiques TV trade. The takeaway: the two-children detail is one of the few personal facts she voluntarily shares, and it comes from her directly rather than from a third-party source.
How old is Catherine Southon on Bargain Hunt?
Catherine Southon’s age and early career
- No official birth date: Neither her company biography nor press coverage lists an exact date of birth.
- Career start: She began at Sotheby’s Bond Street, according to her official biography (Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers official biography).
- Auctioneer at 28: The same biography states she became an auctioneer at that age.
- Nine years at Sotheby’s: She spent close to a decade there before going freelance.
What is documented is a long, steady climb. She joined Sotheby’s on Bond Street, catalogued sales in the Collectors Department, and later became Head of Scientific Instruments and Maritime Works of Art. Her team’s biography also records her involvement in cataloguing the instrument section of The Time Museum sale in New York and London, and credits her as a contributor to Judith Miller’s Dictionary of Art and Antiques and a regular contributor to Antique Collecting Magazine.
Her official biography is precise about milestones but silent on her birth date. That silence is itself the honest answer to the age question.
After leaving Sotheby’s she worked as a freelance valuer, and from 2003 she began appearing on television antiques programmes. Bargain Hunt followed in 2006, and she has remained part of the lineup since. Those dates confirm she is one of the show’s more experienced experts, even if the exact year of birth is not public. What this means: any website that assigns Catherine Southon a specific age is extrapolating — the official sources simply do not include one.
How much is Catherine Southon worth?
Net worth estimates for Catherine Southon
- No official figure: Southon has never published a net worth, and no verified source has calculated one.
- Income sources: Her earnings flow from auction commissions, valuations and TV appearance fees.
- Documented sale: A diamond rivière necklace handled by her firm sold for £47,000 at hammer price, according to her company biography.
- Top-end collection: A private collection of enamelled jewellery she handled sold for more than £350,000 plus buyers’ premium.
Websites that publish celebrity net worth figures for Southon are working with estimates, not accounts. The firm’s own website says nothing about turnover or profit, and no verified net worth estimate exists. What the company does publish is the range it operates in: its specialists cover jewellery, silver, Asian art, furniture, ceramics, luxury accessories, Old Masters, and modern and contemporary art (Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (official site)).
Treat any exact “Catherine Southon net worth” number online as a guess. The only documented figures are saleroom results — like the £47,000 necklace and the £350,000 enamelled collection.
The two documented sales put the business’s price range into perspective. They do not amount to a personal fortune on their own, but they show why net worth questions miss the point: the real value sits inside a private company. The trade-off: without published accounts, her personal wealth is unverifiable, and the auction prices that are public say more about the firm than the person.
Who are the experts on Bargain Hunt?
Where Catherine Southon sits in the Bargain Hunt lineup
- Rotating roster: Bargain Hunt uses a changing cast of antiques specialists rather than a single resident expert.
- Long service: Southon has appeared on the show since 2006, making her one of its most familiar experts.
- Other formats: Her television work also includes Antiques Road Trip, noted in her official biography.
- Names fans search: Philip Serrell, Christina Trevanion and Charles Hanson also come up regularly in Bargain Hunt expert queries.
The expert’s job on Bargain Hunt is to help two teams spot undervalued items at antiques fairs and turn a profit at auction. Southon’s background fits that role unusually well: she has the saleroom experience to judge what will sell and the cataloguing knowledge to say why. That combination is why she has been asked back so often.
Her longevity matters to the show. While the presenter lineup has shifted in recent years, Southon belongs to a core group of specialists whose faces anchor the programme for regular viewers. The pattern: Bargain Hunt gives working auctioneers like her a national platform, and that visibility feeds directly back into their regional salerooms.
Why is Charles Hanson no longer on Bargain Hunt?
Charles Hanson’s departure and what it signals
Charles Hanson stepped away from Bargain Hunt in 2024, but the official reason has never been fully detailed.
- 2024 exit: Hanson’s departure from the show is widely reported as having happened in 2024.
- No detailed statement: Neither the BBC nor Hanson has published a full explanation.
- Unconfirmed reports: Some press reports linked the exit to problems at his auction house; those claims have not been verified.
For viewers, Hanson’s exit became one of the most searched Bargain Hunt questions of recent seasons. For Southon, the practical effect was limited: she and Hanson worked in different roles, and his departure did not change her own standing on the show. It did, however, demonstrate how quickly the expert lineup can shift.
The uncertainty around Hanson is a useful reminder when reading about any Bargain Hunt personality, including Southon. The same search traffic that produces questions about her age and net worth also produces rumours that no official source has confirmed. Why this matters: the Hanson case shows how much of the Bargain Hunt rumour mill is unverified — which is why Southon’s own record should be judged on documented facts rather than search-engine speculation.
Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Began her career at Sotheby’s Bond Street (CSAV official biography)
- Established CSAV in 2012 (CSAV company history page)
- Has appeared on television antiques programmes from 2003 onward
- Has two children, per her own social media bio
What’s unclear
- Exact age or date of birth
- Net worth
- Illness claims that circulate online
- Specific reasons behind Charles Hanson’s Bargain Hunt exit
The distinction worth keeping: the confirmed list comes almost entirely from Southon’s own company and her own words, while the unclear list is made up of details no official source has addressed.
In her own words
Southon does not give many interviews about her private life, so the quotes that exist carry extra weight.
“mum to two not-so-littleones”
— Catherine Southon, X bio
“Catherine began her career at Sotheby’s Bond Street.” Her official biography goes on to record that she became an auctioneer at 28.
— Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers, official biography
The pattern in both quotes is identical: what Southon chooses to share is controlled, consistent, and carefully limited.
What the record shows
Read the official sources side by side and one consistent portrait emerges: Catherine Southon is a working auctioneer first and a television personality second. Her own company documents the Sotheby’s years, the Kent and Surrey salerooms, and the specialist jewellery sales — while leaving her age, wealth, and private life unaddressed. For Bargain Hunt viewers, the practical implication is simple: check any claim about her personal life against her official biography or a named news outlet before treating it as fact. For collectors in the South East, the decision is clearer still: book a valuation with CSAV if you want a documented read on your pieces, or wait for one of her regular auctions and test the market yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Catherine Southon’s profession?
Catherine Southon is an auctioneer, valuer and television antiques expert. She owns Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (CSAV) and appears on BBC shows including Bargain Hunt.
What auction house does she own?
She owns Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers (CSAV), established in 2012. The firm holds regular auctions in Kent and Surrey and covers jewellery, silver, Asian art, furniture, ceramics, luxury accessories, Old Masters, and modern and contemporary art.
Has she appeared on Antiques Road Trip?
Yes. Her television credits include Antiques Road Trip as well as Bargain Hunt, according to her official biography.
How long has she been on Bargain Hunt?
Her Bargain Hunt debut is dated 2006, making her one of the show’s longest-serving experts.
Does Catherine Southon have a Wikipedia page?
There is no comprehensive Wikipedia biography for Catherine Southon. The most reliable career information comes from her official company website and national news coverage.
Is Catherine Southon married?
She has not publicly confirmed her marital status in official sources. She is a mother of two children, as she describes herself on X.
Where is her auction house located?
CSAV operates across Kent, London, Surrey and the wider South East, with regular auctions held in Kent and Surrey.
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Richard Vane is Senior Reporter at MorningTimes.uk, covering breaking UK news stories across politics, business and public affairs.