Medieval coins are from the period of history also known as the Dark Ages. On our calendar, it is the millenium period from approx. 500 to 1500 AD. Most of the coins of this era were crudely struck, but they come from a part of history where man was basically fighting to survive. The average life expectancy was about 30 years, and the Black Death (aka Bubonic Plague) killed one-third of the population of Europe. This was also the period of history when the collapse of the Roman Empire gave rise to some of the nations of Europe that exist today.