Queen's treasures on show

This painting of the Queen in ceremonial headdress was given by the people of Papua New Guinea in 1996

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Two hundred of more than 1,500 gifts presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her 50-year reign have gone on show in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace in London.

Some of the bizarre and brilliant gifts, including live animals and golden palm trees, date back to the 16th century and were collected during the 76 state visits and 104 trips to Commonwealth countries the queen has made.

There are complete desert scenes decked in gold and beautiful silver ornaments, but the queen's two live turtles from the Seychelles, a crocodile and several race horses will not feature at the exhibition.

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A palace spokeswoman said: "I couldn't say if the queen has a favourite, but we're expecting visitors from all over the world to find the exhibition fascinating."

There is also a grasshopper-shaped wine cooler given in France in 1972, which is normally on display at the queen's home at Windsor Castle, and a pair of cowboy boots given to the queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during a visit to Texas.

The golden model of a desert oasis is from the Emir of Qatar

The exhibition catalogues gifts going back to 1520, when Henry VIII of England met Francis I in Northern France and exchanged presents as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

Since then every gift received by the monarchs of England and Britain has been listed and stored.

The exhibition is open to the public until September 29.