Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
The collection is arranged by year of release of the trading cards.
The United States Customs Service was founded in 1789 by the United States federal government to collect import tariffs. Among one of the goals of the organization was the regulation and enforcement of trade laws and preventing the transit of illegal materials. In the late 20th century, the US Customs Service incorporated the use of canine units trained to identify substances the federal government labeled as illicit in an effort to apprehend individuals and groups moving those substances across borders. In the 1990s, in an effort to publicize their efforts in drug enforcement, the US Customs Service produced a series of trading cards portraying the various canine enforcement dogs, their names, and statistics in the style of a sports trading card. Originally a concept created by customs supervisor, Chuck Svoboda, the trading cards were distributed to children at school demonstrations and to travelers crossing the United States-Mexico border. Due to their popularity and demand from the public, the cards were produced from 1991 to 1999.
The United States Customs Service was merged into the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2002, operating under the United States Department of Homeland Security.
William & Mary Libraries' archival, digital and physical collections may contain content with harmful language or difficult subject matters. We strive for transparency in making these materials available for teaching and research, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices or behaviors found within them.
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United States Customs Enforcement Canine Enforcement trading cards, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.
The collection is comprised of trading cards produced by United States Customs Enforcement to promote their efforts in the control of illicit drugs. Each of the trading cards depicts one canine used by the department, along with the dog's name, operational location, statistics, notable seizures they had participated in, and contact information for Customs Enforcement.
The collection contains trading cards from the 1991, 1994, 1996, and 1997 releases, each year accompanied by different stylings. Also included are two unopened packs of the 1991 edition of the cards, as well as undated stickers included with each pack of cards.
This collection represents a view into the culture surrounding the War on Drugs, as well as the growing presence of the United States Customs Enforcement along the US-Mexico border in the late 20th century before its merging with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Sealed packs are representative of how the cards are distributed and should not be opened.