I’ve blogged before about some of the implausible stuff advertised in comics, like classes to become a dental assistant. This might be the weirdest yet.
Even given comic-book readers skewed older in 1970 than in 1960, I’d assume the overlap between “comics fans” and “guys who need to buy rings” was slim. And the number who’d go through an ad in a comic book to buy jewelry must be an even smaller subset. Did the ads generate enough revenue to cover their cost? Was the advertising space cheap enough that taking a flyer on comics fans made sense? I have no idea, though I’m automatically suspicious that the rings did not live up to descriptions such as “3 large fiery diamonds set in a beautiful 14K solid gold modern design.”
This ad shows model-building was still popular (and “looks groovy!”). Certainly I’d find Snoopy in his Sopwith Camel more interesting than most model kits. I also think it’s ironic that Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Baron, a man who wanted very much to become a legend, succeeded, sort of: people with no other knowledge of WW I know the Red Baron from Peanuts.
While I may not be into model building, apparently old kits do attract some interest on eBay. One thing about the Internet, there’s probably no interest or hobby so obscure you can’t find something online.
