1918 S Lincoln Wheat Cent - High Grade With Which Error - Opinions?

I feel like it could almost be a capped die strike, or very bad Die Deterioration. The Die crack is making me lean away from a die cap though...
Best guess is Die Deterioration. Looks too sharp of a strike on the bust to be a capped die.

-CH27

Since Die Deterioration starts from the rim in, I'm guessing that the Die Deterioration didn't quite reach the ear. So VLDS or later. (Not an expert, just my best guess) Not so sure about the Die crack though.

-CH27

But there was something happening back in the teens that showed die wear opposite the direction towards the rim. This happened on several years during the teens. Why? Not sure:





The only era that had die wear towards the center and also towards the rim. (on some of these and other examples not showing the same die wear towards the center) Still a mystery to me. The only things that changed during that time period was the missing initials and the wide rims. (It may have been the wide rims that created this issue IMOHO)

@tropicalbats, I'm intrigued by LIBERTY and the area immediately below the ER of LIBERTY.



Here are my questions:
1. Why are the RTY and back curve of the neck so much stronger than LIBE?
2. What is in the field below ER? Is this a thin metal scrap retained on the coin? Would this suggest a thin cap? Or possibly a very thin retained scrap that later peeled away?
3. The die crack appears to extend all the way through the rim on the right side, below the lapel. That said, the VDB seems fairly strong.
4. What caused the area of subsidence in front of the portrait, extending to an arc from the top hair curl to the "9" of the date? This would correspond with the T-T-C of CENT/STATES/AMERICA, all of which seem very slightly weaker than the balance of the reverse.

@coop, one clue to the die wear may be David Lange's comment that in 1915, die pair production averaged only 150,000 coins. To me, this suggests inferior steel quality, possibly combined with inferior die tempering. Your observation about the odd die wear patterns is spot on. Could the area of subsidence in front of the portrait at least partially explain the inward metal flow on this coin?

Just some stray thoughts.

Interesting coin, and an interesting glimpse into the early Lincoln production issues.

Sounds like a reasonable consensus is being arrived at here. An old die mated with a new die. It is certainly something seen on quite a number of coins, but was just thinking (hoping) there was more to this one. The whole dished out feel to the obverse reminded me very much of my struck throughs and well, just was hopeful. Still an interesting coin, just not what I was hoping for.

And Fortcollins, while there is a bit of what appears to be rippling under LIBERTY, what you are looking at is so light even when lit almost horizontal to the coin that I'm not sure I can say much about it. Yes there is what looks like slight, parallel, separated flakes running toward the rim under there, but just too soft to make anything of them.