Meet David Meinz: Inside the Collection
Welcome to the wild world of vintage health fads!
Jun. 22, 2025
Registered dietitian nutritionist David Meinz has spent decades assembling what can only be described as a museum of vitamin history—featuring everything from quick cures to quirky weight-loss schemes.
David knows the story behind every piece—each bottle, box, and ad holds meaning. He found the right prescription for a truly unforgettable collection! With supplements, snake oil, and some seriously strange solutions, David proves he’s the master of retro remedies.
This one-of-a-kind collection is likely the only one of its kind. Many of David’s items are original products, displays, or ads from that golden era of wellness marketing—and they’re in surprisingly good shape. Then again, they were made to promote good shape.
Get ready to enter the world of vintage health fads! Take a look.
1. Lar-Mar Reducing Soap
This La-Mar Reducing Soap was marketed during the 1930s, back when "reducing" was the polite term for weight loss.
The goal? Sell soap to people looking to wash away a few pounds. Whether it actually worked, however, is another story.
According to David, sometimes the packaging is better than the product itself—and in this case, it’s not even close.
This box contains three bars. One bar was used (most likely by someone who lost all the weight they needed), while the other two remain in mint condition.
As for the secret ingredient? There wasn’t one. But in an era full of wild weight-loss gimmicks, there were always people buying into the hype.
Our expert owns the only other example he’s ever seen—and he estimates it would be worth about $500 today.
It’s a quirky case of classic quackery!
2. E.T. Vitamins Display
These items are from 1983—outside David’s usual focus of the 1920s through the ’50s—but it’s a worthy exception. After all, it’s both a pop culture phenomenon and a vitamin collectible.
It’s an E.T.-themed vitamin dispenser that’s a little like a Happy Meal for your health. He collected each piece individually, including the colorful display.
David spotted it while a collector was selling other E.T. memorabilia—and he knew he had to phone it home.
According to our expert, it’s best kept and sold together. Normally, collectibles this "new" don’t have much value—but the E.T. connection makes a difference.
Our expert valued the set at around $1,500, depending on the buyer. When it comes to 1980s nostalgia, this one really glows.
3. Trim Reducing-Aid Cigarettes
Trim Reducing-Aid Cigarettes were yet another wacky attempt to help people lose weight—though according to our collector, there was never any real legitimacy behind the idea.
The claim? Smoke three or four a day to curb your appetite. Despite being a weight-loss scheme, the bright, flashy packaging helped sell the product.
One line even read: "Not intended to replace your favorite cigarette." Just add a few more smokes to your daily routine in hopes of trimming down the pounds.
David found this quirky piece of history 15 or 20 years ago. It likely dates back to the 1950s.
According to our expert, display boxes like this are hard to find, making the item even more rare. He valued it at $500—a puff of vintage appeal.
4. One-A-Day Counter Display
This is an early piece from one of the original vitamin companies, One-A-Day Vitamins. It’s a unique display made of wood and glass, and it’s truly a blast from the past.
It still contains all the original products and pills. But that didn’t come easy—it took David years to track down each item, piece by piece, to fill it up.
The display was also slightly damaged when he found it, so he carefully touched up the paint to restore its original 1940s charm.
This display features Vitamins A and D, which at the time were marketed as a better alternative to cod liver oil—a product many were thrilled to replace.
Only one or two of these displays are known to exist today, adding to its rarity. Our expert estimates its value at around $3,000—a true dose of nostalgia!
5. Graybar Stimulator
Some fans of vintage health fads may have even tried this one—including Lisa Whelchel’s mom.
It’s called a Graybar Stimulator—basically an early version of the classic jiggling belt machine. You strap it to your "trouble spots" and let the vibrations do the work.
This particular model dates back to 1929, though machines like it were still in use in the 1970s.
This piece captures the era of fitness machinery and fad-based wellness. Does it work? According to our collector: "It functions—but it doesn’t work." It's not quite what the doctor ordred.
While it may not be the rarest item in his collection, our expert said that its great condition makes it standout.
According to our expert, this fitness fad machine would be worth around $600.
6. Hadacol Carousel Display
This product is called Hadacol, and it was a nationwide sensation in the late 1940s and early ’50s.
Marketed as a health "elixir," it was a blend of vitamins and a not-so-minor 12% alcohol content. It’s no surprise that millions of dollars worth of Hadacol were sold. Who wouldn’t feel a little better after a few sips?
It was so popular that Lucille Ball was even hired to promote it in the early ’50s. David believes that’s where she got the inspiration for her iconic "Vitameatavegamin" episode of I Love Lucy.
What makes this piece extra special is the original Hadacol motion display. Only two of these are known to exist.
Shocking by today’s standards: Hadacol was marketed to children. Moms across America reportedly loved how quickly it put their kids to sleep. (Something tells us that 12% alcohol might’ve had something to do with that.)
Our expert valued this unique piece of marketing and medical history at around $3,500.
7. The total value of David's fitness fads collection:
