Long Version - When I was 7 yrs old, back in 1985, my Mum bought me a guitar from a friend of mine who got it from his Uncle. My friend couldn't play it and sold it to me. I couldn't play, had no idea how to play, it had 4 strings and I knew exactly ZERO about guitars at that age but I wanted one, it was cheap and I was lucky to have it bought for me. It got played with for about a week before taking up residence in the corner of the room for a few years.
When I was 11, I reluctantly sold the guitar to another friend who was a bit older and was starting a band. I wanted the money for records (Who'd of guessed!) and off the guitar went. I regretted it almost immediately. Even though I couldn't play it, it was a bit battered and it had no strings at this point.
Fast forward to January 2024 and my local Guitar Shop posted a video on Facebox of one their members of staff playing a guitar that was the same model. I went down to see them to have a look at the guitar and it was my old guitar! A lot more beat up than I remember it but 100% without doubt the same guitar. I was so excited to see it and was ready to just pay the money and run when the shop owned told me it had been reserved. Gutted! Another member of staff had fell in love with the guitar and reserved it. He wanted it because the name of the guitar is a Star Wars character, FFS! I told them about the guitar being my old guitar and that I really wanted it back and to ask Mark, the person who wanted it, if he changed his mind or wanted to sell it on, let me know first.
F>>Fast forward to today. I went to the shop for some strings and picks and just a nosey around like you do. Jason the manager said to me, that guitar is still here. Apparently Mark had changed his mind and they pretty much forgot about it down in the cellar storage room. I just said 'get it, I'll take it now'.
So here it is, nearly 40 years after I first owned it and couldn't play a thing, other than Status Quo's Pictures Of Matchstick Men lick that my Dad showed me. (That was all he could play) I own it again, it's beat to shit, exactly as I remember it and it plays like butter and it sounds great!
I know it was my old guitar because of some very distinct damage that was caused by me. The missing binding was from when I dropped it in the garden after it slipped off the strap and the small mark above the bridge pick up is a pellet wound from my Dad's old Air Rifle.