AGAIN...
A 1450 has regular points and coil... I have one . Great little garden tractor.
You should have 12 volts at coil with the key on.
With the key off and the points closed, should measure zero or low ohms to engine block on the other leg of his coil.
If he is checking all this out his problem is most likely his coil they are known to just quit.
This engine is shut off by removing the 12 volts to the coil with the ignition switch. KennyV
Just do as J J suggested:
"You can check the coil independently by connecting 12 volts to the positive terminal, and plug in a known good spark plug wire, connect to a known good plug, and and place the plug to battery ground, now, take a wire from the neg terminal on the coil, and touch the battery neg terminal. You should get a really good spark. You get the spark after you touch and remove the neg wire. When you first touch the coil, the coil is building up a field, and when you remove the neg wire, the field collapses and the spark is generated."
Dose this seem too hard to follow???
KennyV.
(have you ever checked if you are getting 12 volts to the coil with the key ON?)