Historical story

What does a star next to the mouth of 1940 wheat back penny mean?

The star next to the mouth of the 1940 wheat back penny is known as a mint mark and indicates the mint that produced the coin. In this case, the star signifies that the penny was minted at the Philadelphia Mint. Other mint marks used by the United States Mint include the letter "D" for the Denver Mint and the letter "S" for the San Francisco Mint.