Derek Jeter should pass Lou Gehrig as the all-time Yankees hit leader this week. The baseball that breaks the record will be the next great game-used piece of history.

Derek Jeter went 0-for-4 in Tuesday night’s 3-2 Yankees win over Tampa Bay, leaving him four hits shy of becoming the all-time team leader in hits.

It’s the man who now holds the mark who is turning the record-breaking ball into a potentially pricey piece of memorabilia. Lou Gehrig’s record of 2721 has stood for 70 years. His career–and life–were tragically cut short by ALS, and although Gehrig likely would have reached well beyond 3,000 had he stayed healthy, the record’s impending doom is still generating plenty of press in baseball.

Jeter’s entire career has been spent in the Bronx and he’s revered today almost as much as Gehrig was in the late 1930s. That, too, is why folks are wondering what will happen to the baseball that breaks the record. There are plenty of possibilites–including one that could put the ball in the hands of a very lucky fan.

The New York Times delves into the inevitable questions.