Actually, my Conn was made right after the end of WWII, and it is also stamped with an VIII.

Connqueror vs. 6M: Jim: I hate to disagree, but the're VERY different horns. Visit m site www.saxgourmet.com to look at the original catalogs and you'll see the differences. Santy Runyon (who was my mentor and teacher) worked for Conn in the 1930's doing saxophone design, and he told me they were made on different tooling. That's pretty obvious if you compare them side by side. Of course, the 26M keywork is radically different. The necks are NOT interchangable on the examples I have in my personal collection. I have not measured them, but the body tube taper looks different to me.

Steve, I know that the 28M Connstellation was designed by Santy Runyan, and it is very different from any other Conn horn that I have ever seen. I have only seen one 28M, and it was not in playable condition. I have seen 2 Connquerors. Both of them were early 40's model horns. Although I did notice a few differences, the horn played very much like my beloved 6M