Doubled Die Reverse ???

[rob6]

Could anyone, in this vast pool of knowledge, explain what "Doubled Die Reverse" actually means?

I own a "1975 S. Africa Gold 2R " coin in PF 68 Cameo, with this on the  NGC label?  An estimate of it's value would also be nice, as it is the highest graded?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on this.  

[sovereignsteve]

A doubled die is caused during the manufacture of the working die (the one that is used to strike the coin). These dies are themselves struck by a master hub die. During the striking process, usually imprinted using several passes, something moves between individual passes and creates a slightly offset duplicate image on the resulting die. There can be various severities and manifestations of the doubling.
They can be spotted as it is the whole design that is seen to be duplicated across the whole surface.

When these dies are used to strike coins, the doubling is transmitted to the coin. In your case, it will be the reverse of the coin.

[rob6]

Thanks for the explanation, I am unable to see any doubling, but obviously I am not an expert. Would this be classified as a mint error?

Also do you think it would reduce the value of the coin?

I've looked on line to see if I could get some idea of it's worth, but as far as I can find there are none for sale, and only two graded of which mine is top of 2.

[sovereignsteve]

Yes they should be looked upon as mint errors and some collectors, especially in the US, like them.