Q: I know this mower was made after World War II because mowers had wooden handles before the war up until sometime in the 1950s, when rubber grips were added. The mower is in good shape, but I don’t have the booklet that came with it. Any idea of its value?

A: You have a Montamower. It was sold by the Montamower Sales Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich., from 1923 until about 1962. A 1916 record of Michigan manufacturers indicates that Bert Montague had purchased a factory in Traverse City, Mich., and planned to begin to manufacture Montamowers in 1917. The Montamower was patented in 1923 and that may have been the first year of production. Magazine ads in the 1920s offered the mower for $15 directly from the manufacturer. By the 1940s, the name of the mower was spelled “MontaMower” and the manufacturer was known as Montamower Distributing Co. The mower weighed less than 10 pounds and used a series of disc blades to cut grass and trim edges at the same time. That’s why the mower was advertised as “Two-Tools-in-One.” Early models had a wooden handle and single shaft. By 1941, the mower had a metal cross-handle like yours. Rubber grips were indeed added in the 1950s. Value, in good condition: $100.