“It all started at a kitchen table back in 1973,” said Bill Cole. “We were watching the local Channel 2 public broadcasting auction, and they were advertising three issues of a Monster Mania magazine that were worth $15, and, along with this, were two tickets to a comic book show, so I bid on them. I won them for $12, got the materials, and decided I’m going to go down to this show.”

Following that, Cole started attending as many shows as he could get to, seeing what dealers offered and listening to them and the attendees. Also during this time, he began hearing about The Buyer’s Guide to Comics Fandom (TBG, which eventually became CBG) and The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, which he said added to his interest in the industry.

He couldn’t have expected at that point that he with Bill Cole Enterprises was embarking on a career that reached the four-decade mark in June 2013. Scoop talked to him about what he’s seen over those 40 years.

Scoop: Were you a comic book fan as a kid? Did you collect them or anything?
Bill Cole (BC): I used to read comics, but never really collected them. Never had the funds.

Scoop: Were you involved in the comics business before you retired from the U.S. Army or did that come only after you retired?
BC: My love for comics came in 1973 when watching the local PBS auction. One of the items they had was the first three issues of the Monster Mania magazine and two free tickets to the local comic convention. I was the high bidder, went to the con and could not believe all the books. So in essence my love for comics started then. At that time I was a reservist and had my own Safety Engineering firm, so the juggling act started. Believe me when I say time management was a godsend.

Scoop: What were your first experiences in the business?
BC: After going to a few cons, I started to purchase everything in sight. In those early days I had at least two copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 in Near Mint condition. Alas they were sold very quickly. When the Arab oil embargo started in the early ‘70s, no one had any plastic bags. At that time I had contacts with bag manufacturers and started to make my own. It was a great sight to see me counting bags one at a time and then wrapping them in hundreds to sell at the weekly shows.

Scoop: You were one of the early advertisers in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. What compelled you to do that?
BC: Everyone said that if you really want to succeed in the business, you had to advertise in The Buyers Guide for Comics Fandom and The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. Again, I wanted to run what I was doing as a legitimate business and not as just a hobby. I started to run ads in both publications and have the largest and best placed ads. My Dad had said, "Never let people know how big or how small you are," and "Give them the impression that you are the largest." This we have done.

From a one man operation to the point we are now one of the largest archival sleeve suppliers in the world today.

Scoop: How would you describe the market at that time?
BC: The market in the early ‘70s was run by individual who were doing it as a part time (weekend shows) venture. I really believe that we were the first or one of the first companies set up to be run as a real business.

Scoop: Over the years, what have been the big challenges in archival supplies?
BC: We have seen oil prices skyrocket over the past years. This has affected the shipping of the material and the costs of raw materials. By purchasing in high quantities, it has meant that we have a sufficient supply on hand to make the final product. However that does not mean that the mill may run low or the customers start buying more items. Along with that, the sellers of non-archival products have been advertising their products as being archival, when in fact they are not. Remember that although there are no specifications for the term "archival," we do follow the guidelines and protocols of the U.S. National Archives and the U.S. Library of Congress.

Scoop: Along those lines, you've put a lot of effort into educational pieces about what is truly archival. What's the most important thing for collectors to know?
BC: Collectors should realize that a professional and legitimate manufacturer or supplier of archival supplies will tell the customer what the product is made of and what the standards are for that product. Case in point: There is a standard for acid-free boards. It is having a minim PH of 8.0 to 8.5 and a minimum of a 3% calcium carbonate buffer added. This means that some one who advertises that their boards are "acid free at time of manufacture" and are acid-free on one side, is just not true. For 40 years we have been trying to teach that to our customers.

Scoop: With the record prices being paid for rare, vintage, high grade comics, are archival products more important than ever or is that overstating it?
BC: It cannot be overstated that to have books that are going to be in your permanent collection, they really should be protected in a Mylar sleeve along with an acid-free board and then put into an acid-free box. Remember that not all individuals can afford to have their books independently graded and encapsulated.

Scoop: What do you think the future challenges for archival products will be?
BC: Archival products and supplies will be here for a very long time. However with comics going digital, we have branched out to other mediums such as to schools, universities and other types of paper collectibles.

Scoop: After 40 years in the business, did you ever expect to be in it this long and to what do you attribute your longevity in it?
BC: I think this is the hardest question yet. I have been working all my life from when I was a teenager sweeping floors at $1.00 an hour. I started working for my father back in 1966. My first pay check was having the car filled up with gas (of course gas at that time was only 25¢ a gallon). I know I am dating myself.

In any event I was working in the industrial safety field selling safety equipment and doing safety inspections. This led to my becoming a Registered Professional Safety Engineer, a designation that I still hold today.

I still had my military obligations to fulfill and in 1973 I made what I consider was a career change that still exists today, working in the comic book industry and meeting some of the nicest people you can imagine. I really think that this industry keeps one young since you are dealing not only young people, but doctors, lawyers, actors, politicians and even sports figures. So there you have it, my life in a nutshell. I am almost 70 but feel 25 years younger and am probably in better shape now than I was in my 20s.

Scoop: Are you thinking about retirement?
BC: Will I retire? Who knows. I have my health and a great wife without whom none of this would have ever been possible. She encourages me and has been by my side for almost 42 years (although she has no desire to go to a con [laughter]. To all my friends and customers, thank-you for making these past 40 years so great!