Iconic "Anthora" cup creator and holocaust survivor Leslie Buck died this past Monday on Long Island from complications due to Parkinsons disease. Since its introduction in the 1960s, the blue and white Grecian designed cup has been a symbol of New York, with over 500 million distributed at its peak in 1994. Though the cup may be going the way of the New York accent these days, it can still be found at coffee stands and diners city wide.
Buck was born Laszlo Büch in modern day Ukraine, and made his way to New York after surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald. After anglicizing his name, he began working for Sherri Cup, and was interested in breaking into the coffee cup market. Noticing that many diner owners were Greek, he used their colors as inspiration and designed the cup himself. It became known as the "Anthora," coming from "amphora" as pronounced with Mr. Buck's thick accent.
Now produced by the Solo cup company, the Anthora is only made upon request, and about 200 million were shipped in 2005. However, the design has remained iconic, making its way onto ceramic mugs, t-shirts and cufflinks. Who knows, maybe that impending designer coffee backlash will spark a resurgence of the classic cups.
