I am a particle physicist. Using ancient lead shielding will improve the signal to noise ratio in my experiment. There is really no reasonable alternative so I will need to destroy a few ingots. As a scientist I very much understand the frustration of historians over the destruction of samples before they can be studied.

As a physical scientist though, I have access to scientific resources not normally available to historians and can devote a small part of my budget and expertise to characterizing the ingots before I process them.

I would like the input of historians as to how I should direct my resources. I have access to virtually any test equipment (Ie. I can book time at major facilities if I can make a good case). What are the most important tests and scans I can perform on the ingots? It would also be helpful if you can rank order them?

thanks