Ted is correct about the sticker with the engine number ,I've seen too many too.
I can't comment on the 109 code as I don't have an early Victa 24 mower that I can check the number ,all the Victa 24 mowers I've had were side pull start ,I can check one anyway but may be different as the number system changed in 1977.
You could just find someone selling an early 24 and ask them what the first few number are.
I think the idea of putting 0 's in front of numbers is so people cant add numbers to a serial making the mower in this case a later model .If they make 99,999 mowers starting with the 109 code they don't want people changing the serial by adding numbers if they didn't use 00 in front ,also it would make stolen mowers harder to restamp. It could be the 195th mower in that model or the 1,00195 probably the later.
