[franken]

At any moment the points are either open, closed or opening and closing (cranking/running) so you may get different readings.
If I recall, the points closing allows current to flow through the coil primary to ground. Opening collapses the electrical/magnetic field, inducing high voltage on the secondary side, causing spark.

The system was designed for 6V so when 12V came around, points got cooked so they introduced a resistance to limit current. Or so I've read... Note current is limited because on points open, you should read 12V at the coil side of the resistance wire. An open always reads source voltage.

I think I'd pull a plug ground it and check for spark.
You can also jump around the resistor wire w/ a not resistance wire temporarily.
I'd also measure battery voltage across the terminals. A charged battery is 12.6V or more. Load it by say turning on the likes for some seconds first. Less than 12.6V is a battery in need of a charge.
Finally, condensers (capacitors actually) are in there to reduce arcing and wear on the points. A bad condenser can cause weak/no spark because current flow isn't interrupted.