Let's see...
OK, in the early days of Ellusionist, back when they hadn't released a single deck that didn't have the Bicycle brand name on them and they were still experimenting with black deck concepts, they created the Bicycle Black Ghost - it wasn't yet called "First Edition" as the "Second Edition" didn't exist yet.
Now, this was their first "rare" deck. It was made to the minimum print run size that USPC permitted at the time - only 5,000 decks. But it was more than just that. The early decks couldn't be purchased and weren't given away as premiums - they were gifts to prominent people in the industries of magic and cards. Many famous magicians ended up with a deck or two, and many of those decks were given in this really chunky-looking steel frames - they practically looked like something a tank would use as a target.
Eventually, their customers learned of this deck and they clamored for it. That's when Ellusionist started making them available as premiums. Prior to that, there were decks selling on eBay for as much as $400. They didn't make it easy to get - you had to buy hundreds of dollars of merchandise to get one, and a hundred-plus more if you wanted it in their new "briefcase" Plexiglas frame with the brass hardware (handle, nuts, bolts). The new frames are much nicer, but at the time, these were the epitome of cool for playing card premiums.
Over time, E held many contests, gave many premiums, had many special offers - but they never sold a single deck of them, only giving them all away to their loyal (deep-pocketed or very skilled/lucky) customers. Eventually, they gave away enough of them that they pretty much ran out except for a really small reserve. Some of the reserve will be for replacing new but defective decks, while I recently saw some in another topic that appeared to be awaiting autographs to be written on them. But since they are in essence not in "regular circulation", the secondary market prices on them have been creeping upward.
While all this was going on, they did eventually create a new deck. Ghost was the first one (the "white" deck), followed by BG1E, and eventually by BG2E, which is still in print and available for purchase as usual, pending any temporary supply shortages.
Differences... The original deck was made in Cincinnati, and I think the early Second Editions were as well, but not any longer - USPC moved their plant to the suburb of Erlanger, on the Kentucky side of the Ohio state line. The basic 52 cards are of the same design, but the BG1E had different ad cards and jokers, as well as some minor differences in packaging. Due to some shrinkage, most of the First Editions had to be resealed in heat-sealed shrink-wrap rather than the standard wrapper with the pull tab. That can happen when decks age and are exposed to heat.
I can't recall which paper stock was used on the BG1E, but I don't believe that it was their classic "UV500" stock. The stock was UV-sensitive, with exposed white areas glowing brightly under a blacklight. I think it was more along the lines of their somewhat less-heavy stock, Bicycle Casino, back when that stock was still being made. USPC has since trimmed the list of available stocks to exactly two - Bicycle and Bee Casino. E's current decks are likely Bee Casino. It's stiffer and longer-lasting under ordinary use - but since when do magicians and cardists use a deck "ordinarily!"
The MOST important differences, though - the new decks, like all new Ellusionist decks, are made with "Performance Coating" laminated on the cards. PerfCoat is the term they use for Magic Finish and was the original code name for the finish when it was still being tested. The first deck to have the coating was Ellusionist's Gold Arcane deck.
Did I miss any details, guys?
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