Dried snake’s head with a Salzburg guilder in its mouth

There are several opposing stories about the origins of the snake’s head.

Two different stories

Found by Frederik III 

According to the inventory of the Cabinet of Curiosities, Frederik III chanced upon the snake and the coin near Frederiksborg Castle after the Swedish siege. 

Christian IV’s lost coin

According to another story, Christian IV lost the coin while strolling near Frederiksborg Castle, and a sneaky snake snapped it up. However, The King quickly cut off its head and kept the coin as a memento of the incident. Later, the snake’s head and the gold coin were nailed together to protect the rare coin against theft.