Contact stains collected on handled objects, touched surfaces or worn clothes typically contain minute amounts of DNA and are therefore less exploited than other stains, such as those containing saliva or blood. In this study 1739 contact traces from real casework were analyzed to determine their analysis success rate and relevance to the case. More DNA was recovered when stains were collected with the double swab technique (mean [DNA] of 0.494 ng/μl), rather than with single swabs (mean [DNA] of 0.312 ng/μl). After being amplified with the SGM Plus STR multiplex kit, 26% of the contact stains had DNA profiles suitable for the Swiss DNA database. Out of the 398 DNA profiles sent to the DNA database, 49 matched crime scene DNA profiles and 136 matched DNA profiles from individuals, including one policeman. These results confirm that, when carefully collected, analyzed and interpreted, contact stains have a high potential to help solving crimes.