screamingmorris

Since I am retired I get bored and I look for stuff like this to keep me occupied.

Since the 1940 22B trumpet (1946 was a typo in the ad) has been stripped down to the bare metal, it is easy to see what it is made of.
It has a brass bell instead of copper.
No 22B's were made with copper bells.
A 22B with a copper bell would be called a 12B instead:
The Conn Loyalist

(the full with-pictures list is at The Conn Loyalist )

Conn called its copper bells "Coprion" bells.

The Conn Loyalist
has some copper / Coprion bells before re-lacquer and after re-lacquer.
With original lacquer the copper bell is dark red.
After re-lacquer the copper bell is bright pink.

The bell in your ad at
eBay: 1940 Conn 22B Trumpet .438 bore GOLD BRASS Bell!!! (item 110139803308 end time Jun-19-07 16:07:58 PDT)
might look reddish, but that is just the lighting of the photo.
The eBay ad shows that the bell is the same color as the rest of the trumpet, whereas a copper / Coprion bell is a much different color from the rest of the trumpet.
For examples where the color difference of a copper bell from the rest of the trumpet is obvious see:
The Conn Loyalist
and
The Conn Loyalist
and
The Conn Loyalist

"And is it in fact a New York Symphony or just a normal 22B?"

The non-pictures model list at
The Conn Loyalist
shows that the "22B New York Symphony" was made from 1922 to 1955, but that is apparently a typo that should be 1954.
Starting in 1955 the "22B New York Symphony" changed to become the "22B Victor" which was made 1955 to the 1970's.

The with-pictures model list at
The Conn Loyalist
has 4 entries for 22B so that you can trace its history.

The link to the "22B Victor" takes you to the page which says:
"In 1955 Conn redesigned the 22B New York Symphony, bringing its design in line with the other trumpets of the day. The result was the 22B Victor."
Within a few years the 22B Victors had a lot of nickel plating on the valve casings, making them look quite different from the older 22B's.

Anyway, since your 22B was made in 1940, it was by definition a "22B New York Symphony" rather than a "22B Victor".
The only variation on the 1930's-1940's "22B New York Symphony" was the fancy "22B New York Symphony *Special*" seen at
The Conn Loyalist

That 1940 22B for sale in eBay does look gorgeous.
Since you can't try it before you buy it, there is no way of knowing whether the valves are worn enough to affect compression.
But I am such an amateur that I probably wouldn't recognize poor compression even if my trumpet had it.
I think that if valves are worn enough to have poor compression a music shop simply electroplates the valves to add to the metal again?
And if the valves are already good, do you know what a 22B feels like and sounds like so that you will be pleased when you get it?
Many people love it, but other people prefer a larger-bore trumpet.
The bore of the 1940 22B is the same as the bore size of a 1950's-1970's Director (the "Directors" since 1985 or so are totally different instruments of lesser quality and have a larger bore size), and it was unclear whether the Director you tried was the older or newer version.

Whether that raw brass 1940 22B is the right trumpet at the right price for you is something that only you can decide.
But you are doing the right thing in getting as much info before-hand as possible so that you can make an informed decision.

I wish I had the money to buy that 1940 22B for $230 plus shipping plus another $100 for nice re-lacquer plus another $100 for nice case.
But since I have a 1996 Toyota Tercel that leaks oil as fast as I can put it in... that 1970 22B Victor in eBay
eBay: Conn Victor Trumpet 1970 w/case (item 110139815942 end time Jun-23-07 20:00:00 PDT) would be more my price range, and it has those neat-looking nickel valve casings

BTW, 6 months ago I knew nothing about Conn trumpets.
Thanks to Christine at Conn Loyalist for having a Web site that educates us so much.

- morris