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Most countries in Western Europe used a single denomination for most purposes. The coin was normally a small silver piece, about the size of a US dime or UK 5 pence. It was based on the Roman denarius. One such coin was the English penny, which is why pence is abbreviated d, for denarius (English pennies were not made of copper until George III). Another was the French denier, again with a name derived from denarius.
Gold coins were not often produced, and when they were produced the denominations were based on the demands of use. So if the cost of a particular job at law was 80 pence, they gold coin was made to reflect that. The result was that there were a large variety of different gold denominations. In England these included a coin called an angel, another called a noble, another called a mark, and many others. The English pound was a denomination for record, but it was not usually available as a gold coin, and many kings never had them minted.
Later in the Middle Ages, English coins that were multiples or fractions of pence were produced, including a testoon of 12 pence, which became the shilling, a groat of four pence, and coins of two pence, a half penny, and a farthing worth a quarter of a penny. During the Middle Ages these were all silver.
There were copper coins in the Byzantine Empire. These were not based on Roman designs, but on new Byzantine designs from the end of the fifth century. Subsequent changes in Byzantine coins produced some really remarkable designs, including coins that were cup shaped.
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What was everyday life like in Medieval England?
Medieval life in England wasn't as good as it's believed to be. Between the years of 1066-1500, the medieval people were vastly productive, even though their technology was far behind ours. There were a lot of hardships and struggles that they went through, but on the up-side, they could use as much water as they pleased.
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