When determining which type of 1864 cent that you are looking at the easiest way it to look at the collar area of the bust. On the standard 1864 the end will be more rounded and be thicker from top to bottom. On the L version it will be narrower and the end comes more of a point then rounding. This is not the only area that can help you determine the type the second feature which is the characteristic that the variety is named after is the L on the on the back side of the neck just above the hair curls. This feature is not visible on most L cents because if the coin has very much wear on it will be blended in with the surrounding areas.
