Obituary: Leslie Buck

The man who designed this cup is dead at 87. Leslie Buck, a holocaust survivor born Laszlo Büch in Czechoslovakia, came up with the Greek design as a marketing director for Sherri Cup in the 60s. The cup's pattern, called the "Anthora," was meant to appeal to New York City's Greek diner owners. It did, and it became a symbol fo the city.

It reached its peak in 1994, the New York Times said, at 500 million cups. Ten years later it dropped down to 200 million, and now, although the cups are still used all over the city, the company offers them only as a special order item.

Interestingly, the Times mentions the cup's small size. In New York, when a to-go cup of coffee is often carried by a pedestrian commuter, those awful "tall" cups from Starbucks stay too hot and hold way more coffee than I ever want to drink in one sitting.

The design is sold on ceramic cups now, some for as little as $12, others for as much $38 -- although it's probably the same damn cup.