Nah, they used to have ALL kinds of stuff for sale in the back of comic books and magazines. I remember all of the war surplus guns available for mail order. My favorite was the Lahti 20mm anti-tank rifle at $129.99 with shells a buck apiece, I think.
I went into the USAF in 1964 and before I got out and could take advantage of those guns, the GCA of 1968 had been passed and the cheap gun deals were gone.
But, yeah, there was a lot of wacky stuff like those ads, too.
The Sea Monkeys were a big disappointment... nothing like the pictures in the ads... more like something you would find in a mud puddle!
USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf
Thomas Jefferson said
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
and
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".