Rare Discontinued Le Creuset Colors You Should Always Look For At Thrift Stores

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If there's one thing cookware brand Le Creuset is known for, it's a vibrant range of colors. The French cast iron cookware producer introduced enamel coated Dutch ovens in the vibrant Flame color back in 1925 and added more and more colors as the years went on. While some hues never go out of production, others have had much more limited runs, making them in demand with collectors the world over.

Rare and relatively recently discontinued Le Creuset colors include Kiwi, which was produced from 2008 until 2015, Cobalt (aka Cobalt Blue), which was produced from 1985 until 2013, and Fig, which was produced from 2014 until 2020. In 2025, seconds of Le Creuset stoneware in the Fig pattern popped up at a Marshall's store in San Diego, leading fans of the deep purple hue to rejoice. On eBay, a small 3.5 quart Dutch oven in Fig is selling for $373. A well-loved 5.5 quart Dutch oven in Kiwi is selling on eBay for $240. A hefty 13.25 quart Dutch oven in Cobalt Blue is listed on eBay for $560.

However, several of the company's discontinued vintage colors produced before 1990, are way more in demand and also way harder to find. These are the colors like the limited edition Elysée Yellow, which sells for five figures when it pops up. Other in-demand and rare vintage hues include Bleu Bell, Hunter Green, Pablo Brown, and the four colors in the Arlequin Collection (Pamplemousse, Vert Florentin, Anthracite, and Grenade).

Do you know your Kiwi from your Fennel? How about Cobalt Blue from Marseille Blue? It can be hard to tell when you're browsing a thrift store, and while Le Creuset publishes a guide to its in-production colors, it doesn't have one for those it has discontinued.

One option, if you're lucky enough to find a piece with its original box, is to check out the sticker on the packaging. It will have a series of letters and numbers. The letters refer to the color's name (in French, so Flame is Volcanique, or VOL). Sometimes, you have to go with your gut or trust the individual selling the cookware, if you find it at a flea market, estate sale, or online.

As for those vintage discontinued colors, such as Elysée Yellow or Bleu Bell — well, you may not come across them in the wild. And if you do, there's no way to know whether they're the real deal or not, as even Le Creuset itself doesn't publish a comprehensive list of colors. Despite the lore around Elysée Yellow and Marilyn Monroe, the actual Christie's auction lot describes the color as "pale yellow." A browse on eBay reveals plenty of listings describing the product as "Elysée Yellow," but there's no way to verify whether the products are just another shade of yellow, like Pamplemousse. Ultimately, if you see vintage Le Creuset in a color that suits your personality, you should probably snap it up, whether it's rare or not.