Music Box Tops UB Periodontist’s Collectibles

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sebastian Ciancio is a collector.

In his office in Squire Hall on the South Campus, the chair of the University at Buffalo Department of Periodontology has hundreds of bottles, porcelain and metal tooth-powder containers instructing users to brush five times daily, an old toothbrush with an ivory head, canisters of dental floss and empty bottles of mouthwash -- one of which boasts the original Listerine label and a cork in its top.

But his collecting of dental paraphernalia, some of which dates back to the late 1800s, has taken him in a different direction. He now collects music boxes. "As part of that collecting," he says of the dental antiques, "I became interested in the music box."

At home, Ciancio has 15 music boxes, half of which he says date back to before 1900. His prized possession, however, is an 1894 Regina music box. It's no ordinary music box, he explains, since it's valued at nearly $10,000. Roughly the size of a turn table, the Regina plays 15 half-inch metal discs. The box was used in private residences for entertainment and also as a coin-operated unit in saloons, ice cream parlors and the like, becoming the predecessor to the juke box.

Along with the purchase of the music box, Ciancio acquired 200 discs. The purchase was something he says his children wouldn't let him live down at the time. While they were hoping for a more modern stereo system, what they got was a relic.

"My kids mocked me for buying a music box" instead of a new stereo, he says. But despite his children's joking about what he calls "the CD player of yesterday," friends enjoyed the music provided by his Regina.

"People would come to my house and…listen to the music box, and (they) wanted to listen again and again," he says, adding that he was inspired by their interest and wanted to make the music more widely available.

So he cut a CD.

With the help of his son-in-law, Peter W. Bessinger, Jr., who owns the Justine Music Box Co., and a local recording studio, an 11-track CD of music played by the Regina was recorded at Loft Recording Studio in Cheektowaga. The finished product is available at various outlets in the area.

But, Ciancio chuckles, he's not out to make money, since he initially made the CD to give as gifts to friends who enjoyed the music. "It was a fun thing to do," he says.

And plenty of people are benefiting from his generosity and his idea.

A local women's group used the CD as a fund-raiser, and Ciancio donated 200 copies to be used as favors at a recent American Academy of Periodontology conference in San Antonio. He also donated copies to WNED TV-Channel 17 for its auction.

A native of Jamestown and current Williamsville resident, Ciancio says his love of antiques and dentistry dates back to his childhood.

"I had a dentist in my hometown who I respected a lot," he says. "He would show me what he was doing (and) would discuss how happy he was with dentistry."

Ciancio, who recently received the President's Award from the American Academy of Periodontology, says serving in the Dental Corps for two years in Germany while in the U.S. Army helped confirm his interest in periodontics.

"When I was in the military, I was saving teeth," he says. "Saving teeth was the direction for the future."

As for his fascination with history, he credits his high-school teacher, Mrs. McMahon, who oversaw the New York State Junior Historical Society, of which Ciancio was a member.

"When it came to our club, she was enthusiastic," he says. "She was a strict disciplinarian, but she got me into (history)."

Ciancio says his schedule isn't as kind to his hobby as he'd like, but he's always on the prowl for new items.

"If ever I'm out and I see a garage sale, I'll stop," he says. "Or a flea market. I'll stop."

As for a second CD -- or any such project -- Ciancio considers it for a moment, then laughs.

"Maybe when I retire," he says.