In 1972, Jeff Curtis talked his way backstage after a sold-out Led Zeppelin concert at Nassau Coliseum. He left with Jimmy Page's weathered guitar case as thanks for helping the crew pack up the stage.

Last weekend, Curtis personally returned the case to the 75-year-old Page in a face-to-face meeting.

The two met at a midtown Manhattan hotel, and Curtis said the look on Page's face "was priceless" when he saw the old case. “He thanked me and said, 'What memories this brings back.' ”

Curtis was nervous before the meeting, but he said Page was "a genuinely warm and very welcoming gentleman" to him, his two daughters and a close friend who accompanied him on the trip.

"We talked about Led Zeppelin; he asked about my musical influences, asked my daughters what type of music they enjoyed and various other topics," Curtis said. "I gave him copies of both my CDs, which he said he would listen to. He also had brought me a special limited box set edition of 'Led Zeppelin II' and signed its book as well as another book I had brought with me."

Curtis, who lives in Westbury, New York, and also plays guitar, said he has a "Whole Lotta Love" for Page, and that's why he hung on to the worn brown leather guitar case. with "Led Zeppelin" and "Fragile" stenciled on the side. for almost 50 years.

He said he never even thought about selling it. The case would have fetched a large bid on the collector's market, Curtis said, but "money off someone else’s fame is simply against my principals."

The 1972 concert

Curtis was 17 when he attended the concert. He said he caught the ear of roadie Mick Hinton, who enlisted him to help pack up the stage after the set.

"I walked down, past two security checkpoints, with the case in hand, up onto the stage, and handed it back to Mick," Curtis posted on his Facebook page as he recounted the event. "After the few minutes it took to pack up the drums, he says to me, 'You can have that.' I was speechless, to say the least!"

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The case, he learned, had outlived its usefulness, and its contents — Page's primary Les Paul model guitar — was placed in a new anvil road case.

"The case I was given was being discarded that night, since its back was crushed and no longer afforded protection to the guitar," said Curtis, 64, a commercial banking professional. "Talk about being in the right place at the right time!"

Giving it back

Curtis said that over the years, while he treasured the beat-up case, he kept it mostly under wraps.

"While there have been a small handful of friends over the years who were aware that I had it, I had kept this a deep secret over the past 47 years in fear that someone might either burglarize my house or, worse, threaten me in order to steal it," he said.

For that reason, Curtis said he no longer wanted the guitar case.

"I decided that I would find a way to personally return it to Jimmy Page," he said. "But how to accomplish this? How would I get in touch with the right people to set up a meeting?"

He took his mission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where a Page guitar was on display as part of a "Play it Loud" exhibit in July.

"I got the idea that maybe I could be put in touch with his people via the exhibit’s curator," Curtis said. "A few days later, I called the museum and spoke with the curator’s assistant, who asked me to send an email with photos, which I did. About two weeks later, I got a call from a gentleman, Perry, who works with Jimmy. He asked to set up a meeting to personally examine the case and take several more detailed photos."

About a month later, Curtis received word that Page wanted to meet him. That meeting took place Sunday.

Curtis said he is shocked by the interest the story and photo he posted on Facebook have received. He said his post has been shared numerous times by the band's millions of fans. He has received lots of calls from newspapers and radio stations.

"The experience of having had the opportunity to sit down with the very person whose music not only greatly influences my own, but also inspired me to initially pick it up and learn to play the guitar almost 50 years ago, is something that I will never forget!" he said.

William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.