gn clock question  

Nope...
all of the ones I've seen over the years were the 2207a with chrome spokes. It was also available as 2207B, with brass spokes, but I don't think I've ever seen one.
I'm thinking that if you saw one with wood spokes, it was either a knockoff or another similar Nelson/Howard Miller clock that you might've thought was the 2207.

it looks authentic
Here is a pic. The back says 2227. Do you think it's a prototype?

The hub is the real deal.
The spokes... not so much. If it were a prototype, the wood would show much more age (and wouldn't be oak). Those spokes look like they were cut and stained a week ago. Probably a cheap way to fix up a clock that had broken spokes.

Rocky...it's darn hard to tell
My first impression is no...if there's no listed history on a good version of this clock.
(You know that there have been a number of damaged clocks - repaired clocks - turning up for sale on eBay over the years.....so you have to be so careful. Another issue is that there had never been a comprehensive listing of all of the clock options until the 2009 Vitra catalog.....)
It's possible that this was a prototype or some weird special order for a specific installation back in the day.
It looks like the wood is of high quality and the spokes seem to match up nicely.
I'm really in a quandry about it.

I don't think it is a prototype
In my 25+ years of collecting Nelson Clocks, I have never seen or heard of a wooden armed version of model #2227. I have both the chrome and the brass versions. The metal arms on this clock make it one of the heaviest. The arms break off pretty easily if not packed right when shipping one of these. I've had that happen too. I bet someone just replaced all the arms with wooden ones.

thank you!
I appreciate your input. That was my suspicion also. You guys are terrific.