The country's all-time leading wicket-taker needs just three more to become the first to 500 during this week's Lord's decider against a West Indies team who pulled off a shock series-levelling victory at Headingley.
Engand are odds-on 2/7 favourites with Sky Bet to win the series, while the Windies are 9/1 and the draw 9/2.
Bowling coach Ottis Gibson, preparing for a poignant final Test of his second stint with England against his native team before he leaves to take charge of South Africa, still pinches himself at the privilege of helping to harness the talents of both Anderson and Stuart Broad – who will surely soon have more than 900 wickets between them.
His admiration for both is obvious, and he is happy to spell out the attributes which ensure 35-year-old Anderson is still a special asset for England.
"He's very skilful. He knows what he wants to do," said Gibson.
"He knows how to make it swing the way he wants ... he can do both [in and outswing] without much of a change in his action.
"But he's also open to challenge ... he's still curious about the game.
"If you're curious, you continue to learn."
On 497 wickets and counting, Anderson's youthful outlook keeps paying dividends – personally and for England.
"He's not a senior pro who is set in his ways and just wants to plod in and drop it on a length," added Gibson, who knows all he needs to do most of the time is leave Anderson to it and just occasionally gauge his mood correctly.
"He still wants to develop new skills.
"That's the fun part of working with him. Some days he wants to be left alone; some days he wants to be challenged.
"You (just) have to work out which is the right day."
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Gibson is confident too that the partnership between England's two most prolific Test bowlers has plenty of legs left in it yet.
"I don't think they're thinking at the moment that they need to be replaced any time soon," he said.
"Broady is only 31, and I'm sure he has a lot of cricket left in him.
"If you look at Jimmy this summer, the way he looks after himself is a credit to him.
"I don't need to tell Jimmy what he needs to do every day for a Test. He knows because he's been doing it for 10-15 years now, and he has been doing it very well.
"He has had a very good summer up to now, and I know he feels he still has a few years left in him for England."
Anderson went uncharacteristically wicketless in the second innings while the West Indies were levelling the Investec series in Leeds – and Gibson is prepared to go along with the Lancastrian's contention that England simply did not bowl well enough in Yorkshire.
"If that was Anderson's view I would have to agree with it," he said.
"There were times in the game where we went away from what we were trying to do.
"When the partnership developed with (Kraigg) Brathwaite and (Shai) Hope, we chased the game a bit - on the last day in the middle session they scored over 120 runs."
Those struggles have set the scene instead for history to be made at the home of cricket, in a match which will also be a special occasion for Gibson.
"We had a management meal last night ... and it did feel a bit emotional at times," said the 48-year-old.
"(But) this is not about me; (it's about) the guys on the field, winning the game and finishing off the summer in style, Jimmy's 500th wicket - so (there's) a lot more to it than me moving on."
His perfect send-off, of course, would be a series-sealing win against the country for whom he won 17 caps in the 1990s.
Asked if he had even marginally mixed feelings at the Windies' resurgence in Leeds, Gibson was unequivocal.
"No, not at all," he said. "We lost, and I was gutted."
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