Hi all, this is Lorenzo from Italy, and I'm coming back to Magic after about 20 years of hiatus. I started playing when Magic first came to Italy, in 1994, and played intensively for the next two years. I was in high school back then and it was a great way to make new friends and enjoy being part of a growing phenomenon.
Around 1996, folks I had been playing with either found another hobby, or moved to attend university. The cost to mantain a competitive deck was also getting important, and I didn't work at the time. I stopped playing. Some years later I sold a large part of my collection... I deeply regret doing so now, but I really needed the money back then.
Fast forward to this summer, and I stumble on a prerelease event of EMN. Something clicks, and the guy there invites me for a quick duel. At first, I don't even recognize the card layout (I'll later learn that it was changed for 8th edition)
Later, I went to dug out what's left of my collection. I recovered from my parents' house a binder with most commons and uncommons of the FBB edition; even the ones I most played with are in a good state, and I fondly remember having great times with them. I clearly recall putting that binder away before selling the rest.
I do want to make sure that they stand the test of time, and I started scanning them. You know, to make sure they are archived somewhere. I then asked myself if I was the only one on Earth doing so... And that's how I stumbled here. I've read the tutorial on scanning cards and there I learnt some best practices that I was pointlessly re-inventing myself.
The process is time consuming, but very rewarding. When I am at something, I'll probably ask in the Photoshoppers section if I can contribute my cards there.
And who knows, meanwhile I might find interest in playing the newest editions. They lack that "ancient scroll" feeling that first editions Magic had, but the new mechanics are interesting.
See you in the forums!