This is my brief survey of rare, unusual, and hard to find YubiKeys. This includes keys that are Yubico OEM keys but not direct YubiKeys, such as the Gnubby and Mt. Gox keys.
If you have a YubiKey that you'd like to sell (or donate, or have more information (USB IDs, availability dates, firmware versions), or know of a rare YubiKey or variant not listed here, please contact me.
Described in interviews with Stina Ehrensvard as a prototype that was never released, predating formal launch of the Yubico company itself.
WANTED - yeah, it's a long shot ;)
Availability dates: N/A (prototype only, late 2006 and/or early 2007?)
USB ID: N/A
USB Name: N/A
Firmware range: ?
No photo yet
The very first YubiKey design, based on a commodity USB storage stick. Likely a low-volume production run.
WANTED - a guy can dream!
Availability dates: May 2007 - ?
USB ID: 1050?:?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ?
The first unibody YubiKey. Note the irregularly spaced USB contacts. A different plastic is used from later keys, so the key is slighly lighter and makes a different sound when dropped on a surface.
WANTED - I have one, but they are rare enough that I want to rescue as many from the landfill as feasible.
Availability dates: 2007-08-31 - ?
USB ID: 1050:0010
USB Name: Yubico Yubikey Touch
Firmware range: ? - 1.3.5 - ?
Described in interview with Stina Ehrensvard and mentioned on the Yubico site in 2007.
Availability dates: 2007 - 2007?
USB ID: ? (does have a USB interface)
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ?
No photo yet
Note that the radio symbol is larger than on the YubiKey NEO, and has two radiating lines instead of three.
WANTED
Availability dates: 2009-11-30 - ?
USB ID: ?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: 2.2+ ?
Reference: Wayback Machine 2011-08-29
No confirmed appearance information, but likely to look like the early YubiKey Standard "v2" (gold contact disc, no black dot) . May have been a marketing/announcement name without a separate, physically different model.
WANTED
Availability dates: 2009-12-07 - ?
USB ID: 1050:? ?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ?
No photo yet
Full gold disc with four connecting lines, and no black dot. Note that this model precedes the more common YubiKey Standard "v3" (that has a black dot in the middle of the gold disc). Even the default black version of this model is relatively rare these days.
WANTED - all colors
Availability dates: ? - 2016?
USB ID: 1050:0010 ?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ?
The 'Gnubby' series are Yubico OEM hardware with proprietary Google firmware, for internal Google employee use. Fewer features that the equivalent full YubiKeys, perhaps to reduce attack surface / complexity. These keys were reportedly later replaced internally with Google's own Titan keys.
You can learn more about some variants of the Gnubby on Neil Sabol's Gnubby page.
Availability dates: perhaps 2012? - ? (internal to Google only)
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Gnubby variant: full size, like YubiKey NEO but with extra USB contact surface
WANTED
Notorious for being mistaken for the YubiKey NEO in eBay auctions around 2016.
USB Name: Yubico Gnubby U2F, and/or Yubico WinUSB Gnubby (gnubby1)
USB ID: 0x1050:0x0211
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, early breadboard/prototype style, no markings
WANTED
USB Name: ?
USB ID: 1050:0200, ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, like YubiKey Nano w/black border, with 'N'
WANTED. I have one example of this key.
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - 2.0.2 - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, like YubiKey Nano w/no border, no other markings
WANTED
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, like YubiKey NEO-N style (no black border), with 'N'
WANTED
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, blue resin with four LEDs
WANTED
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano size, clear resin with four LEDs
WANTED
"in clear resin with four LEDs (in the four Google colors) which blink back and forth like the KITT car from Knight Rider when it's waiting to be tapped" (Reddit thread)
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Gnubby variant: nano USB-C size, like YubiKey C Nano, no other markings
WANTED
USB Name: ?
USB ID: ?
Firmware ranges: ? - ?
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Specialized variant of the YubiKey Standard, in partnership with Symantec. Probably quite a few in the wild, but they don't pop up very often anymore. OATH OTP only. Different firmware from regular YubiKeys, so it's more than just a branding variant.
I have a couple for trade
Availability dates: 2011-??-??? - 2017-??-??
USB ID: 1050:0010 ?
USB Name: Yubico Yubikey II
Firmware range: ? - 2.4.1 - ?
Specialized variant of the YubiKey Standard (gold disc with black dot), in partnership with the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange. At least 17,138 were manufactured. Different firmware from regular YubiKeys, so it's more than just a branding variant.
WANTED
Availability dates: August 2011 - ?
USB ID: 1050:? ?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ? - ?
Model/type is unknown, but note the lack of metal inner surface of the keyring hole - this places the model earlier in the release history.
WANTED
Availability dates: ?
USB ID: 1050:?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ? - 4.2.1 - ?
Differentiated by the obvious 'plus sign' symbol on the contact surface. OATH OTP, with introduction of FIDO U2F support. There were at least two different "pack" variants - a general one that includes the orange key, and a "Happy New Year" / holiday one that includes the red key.
WANTED - orange (and the lighter green shown with the orange may also be different, and wanted)
Availability dates: 2014-??-?? - 2015-??-??
USB ID: 1050:0410
USB Name: Yubikey Plus
Firmware range: 4.0.1 - 4.0.2 ?
It's not clear if this Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) YubiKey development model ever got past the concept/prototype stage, beyond "released into specific pilots" in 2016.
WANTED
Availability dates: 2016-06-15? - ?
USB ID: 1050:? ?
USB Name: ?
Firmware range: ?
Reference: Yubico blog post
This page lists YubiKeys with significant physical or functional differences (including specialized firmware). A number of branded YubiKeys (that are otherwise functionally ordinary) are also hard to find - see my Wanted Security Keys page.
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