A distributed auction system allows remote bidders to interactively participate by computer in live auctions conducted on-site by an auctioneer. The system includes a console program that runs on a computer at a site of the auction. A human proxy that attends the live auction enters auction state information into an interface of the console program for real time dissemination to the remote bidders. The human proxy also receives via the interface information about valid bids placed by the remote bidders, and communicates such bids to the auctioneer. The auction state information is disseminated to the remote bidders via a set of nodes that are hierarchically connected such that different nodes are assigned to different sets of remote bidders. These nodes also filter out invalid bids received from the remote bidders, based on stored auction state information, to prevent such bids from unnecessarily being communicated to the human proxy.