Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit could be a memorabilia bonanza.

From the Yankees captain's bat to his spikes to the base from which he takes a bow, everything he touches on that day has the potential to become an instant collectible for a rarefied market.

The most valuable items such as Jeter's Yankees jersey and bats could fetch as much as six figures each, said Brandon Steiner, chief executive officer of Steiner Sports Marketing.

That's because Jeter is about to accomplish something no Yankee has - neither Ruth, DiMaggio nor Mantle. And the shortstop's memorabilia already ranks among the three most-coveted current baseball players nationwide, along with Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, said Tom Bartsch, editor of Sports Collectibles Digest.

But once Jeter becomes the 28th member of the 3,000-hit club, a new set of collectors will be interested in a piece of his history. Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator, said there is a significant segment of baseball enthusiasts who are considered "theme collectors."

They seek items from every member of exclusive milestone groups such as baseball's 500 homer or 3,000-hit club, Orlando said. With his landmark hit, the already robust demand for Jeter items figures to increase exponentially.

"A milestone like this, it takes him to an entirely new level," Orlando said.

But just how much of Jeter's uniform and equipment actually makes it to the open market must still be determined, Yankees officials said.

First, the Yankees and Jeter must decide what items he will keep for himself, what the team will put in its stadium museum and what items will be donated to baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Talks to resolve those issues between the Yankees and Jeter's representatives are not expected to take place until Jeter is even closer to 3,000.

He has 14 hits to go as the Yankees begin a 10-game homestand today night against the Boston Red Sox.

Jeter told Newsday recently that he hasn't even thought about what he wants to keep for himself. But if, for example, he decides he wants to hold on to his Yankees jersey, the team technically owns that. Major-league teams provide all elements of their uniforms, including their jersey, pants, socks, hats and helmets.

Yankees officials are confident they will be able to work out a deal with Jeter if he decides he wants something the team owns. Typically, the team will ask the player to autograph special commemorative items for the team in exchange for giving the player, say, his jersey, the baseball and lineup card.

"The bottom line is we don't think this will be a big issue," Yankees president Randy Levine said. "We're used to dealing with these type of achievements."

Jeter's agent, Casey Close, declined to comment for this story.

While the major-league team supplies players with their uniform, the players are responsible for their bat, batting gloves, fielding glove and spikes. Jeter, like the majority of major-leaguers, receives his equipment through various endorsement deals. Jeter's bat is from Louisville Slugger, his spikes, wrist bands and batting gloves come from Nike, and his fielding glove comes from Rawlings. So Jeter already owns those items. He could decide to swap some of those items with the Yankees for, say, his game jersey.

The next step is deciding what is donated to the baseball Hall of Fame museum.

Officials there began lobbying Jeter in spring training, when president Jeff Idelson met with the shortstop in Tampa "to refresh Derek's memory of how great he's been through the years and how we care for his artifacts," Hall of Fame spokesman Brad Horn said.

Jeter donated the bat he used during Game 6 of the 2009 World Series and the spikes he wore in 2008 when he broke Lou Gehrig's all-time Yankees hits record.

Asked what the Hall of Fame's museum would be interested in from Jeter, Horn said, "Obviously a bat is most representative of a 3,000th hit, but there are other ways to commemorate it."

Whatever game-used items wind up for public sale will be funneled through Steiner Sports Marketing, a New Rochelle-based memorabilia firm that has separate contracts with the Yankees and Jeter for the sale of game-used collectibles.

Steiner said it will have employees at games to "organize and authenticate" the potential game-used items. The Yankees will decide in the days after Jeter's 3,000th hit which items the team will give Brandon Steiner to place for sale on his company's website.

Steiner said he shares a percentage of the revenues with the Yankees on the sale of memorabilia but he declined to offer specifics, citing a non-disclosure agreement in their seven-year business arrangement.

If the game is at Yankee Stadium, Steiner said the team has agreed to swap out the bases several times so that he can sell them. Major League Baseball also will use specially marked baseballs when Jeter is at 2,999 in the event he hits a home run and a fan comes up with it, a league spokesman said.

Steiner also plans to take dirt from the field - if Jeter's 3,000th happens at Yankee Stadium - and attach it to a framed photo of his big moment.

Steiner also will sell commemorative ticket stubs from the game and a replica Jeter bat inscribed with the details of the 3,000th hit.