Prussian 15th Hussar Enlisted Felt Ersatz Busby

Prussian 15th Hussar Regiment (King  Humbert of Italy’s Regiment) - Enlisted Man felt Ersatz Busby circa 1914. Near MINT condition. We have traced this helmet back to the prestigious Bill Stevens collection circa 1970.  The helmet body is made of  a single piece of gray/green Pressed Felt with a steel reinforcement band approximately 1 inch wide inside. The bottom of the Busby has the Remains of an Issue Stamp that is not legible. Body is in overall near mint condition. The distinctive frontplate for the 15th Hussar awarded to this regiment by AKO in January 1899 for battle honors while in the Kings German Legion during the Napoleonic wars "Peninsula" "Waterloo" "El Bodon" "Barossa" on Laurel Leaves. The plate is fixed to the busby through the original brass grommets and held with leather wedges. 

The frontplate and M-94 posts are both in German Silver. The original leather strap made in thin leather with brass fixtures that is proper for this unit. Original Enlisted Reich Cockade on the right side and Enlisted Prussian Field Badge. Inside has the black dyed pre-war style liner and drawstring in excellent to near mint condition. Note an old “Bill Stevens inventor number" is stuck to liner. When AOK originally purchased the busby, it was fitted with an Officers Tresse which was put on by the later collector. The helmet did not have a Tresse (see picture attached from Eric Johansson's book published in 1982). We used an original Enlisted tresse to retrofit this Busby as it should be.

This Busby is 100% original to period. Most likely of 1914 fabrication in pre-war metal. We also believe that there never was a feldgray 15th Hussar plate made for the short period of use, similar, to the 7th Uhlan who remained in German Silver for the whole period of World War I. We have tracked this helmet from Bill Stevens in the 1980’s to father Jerome Murphy in the 1990’s. We know of only one other variant for line Hussar made the same way. Extremely RARE!!!