? About the 1864 L ndian Head Penny 0

[FTW]

Hi,

I have an Indian Head collection and some of the pennies have a star by them. One of them being the 1864L penny.

the penny is not in the best shape so how can you tell if it’s an 1864 L penny for sure?

 

[Coinbuf]

The "L" on the ribbon is one of the lowest points of the design so it is usually visible on even very low grade coins.  I can see it in your photo and here is where to look.

 

[Conder101]

The star was put there by the publisher of the album to indicate this was a key or semi-key date.  Are there stars by the 72, 77, or 09-S dates?