Janice Putney Collection

Enjoying a sand collection.

After a lifetime of sand collecting, Janice Putney presented her collection to the ISCS in September 2025 for the use of others.

Janice had been a member of a local sand chapter in New York City with a newsletter The Sandpaper. She collected as she traveled and asked others to bring her samples. She traded with other sand collectors in small amounts as, even 30 years ago, it was expensive to send samples to people.

One of her sand adventures involved going with a friend to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, NY late at night to collect sand to make over her bathroom floor. If they were to be approached by local authorities, their cover story was that they were biology teachers and were collecting sand for their students. They were not bothered by anyone and collected a couple gallon bags of sand.  Another friend built a boardwalk for the bathroom project. With sand spread on the floor and a boardwalk, the bathroom was a small beach in NYC. Friends still ask about her sand bathroom. 

Janice’s brother helped her collect samples as he often travelled to foreign locations. One of these samples was collected from an ashtray collect when visiting a hotel. He noted the location precisely as “in the upper left-hand corner of the tray next to the seat in the lobby.” Janice found his precision amusing.  As collectors, we do ask for precise locations!

Janice states, “I thoroughly enjoyed all my years of collecting sand. So glad that others will enjoy it too.”

Lucayan Beach, Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas