History Main / ChekhovsExhibit

* Happens in the introduction of ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'', with the globe containing the whole mini universe seen in a museum, stolen by Captain Syrup and sent to Wario (So that she could get Wario to enter, beat the Shake King and bring the Bottomless Coin Purse to the outside world.)

* The Mayan Talisman in ''VideoGame/TheLabyrinthOfTime'' plays with this. In a futuristic Lunar Museum, the display where it would be is empty. Then, later in the game, you are able to [[spoiler: alter time to allow archaeologist Martin Garrett to actually find it]]. ''Then'' you steal it from the museum after it's put on display.

* The seemingly useless stone in the museum in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. It is actually [[spoiler: a legendary Pokémon, which you [[GottaCatchThemAll must catch to advance the plot]].]]
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'': An exhibit at the Natural History museum regarding Gozer worship triggers a shockwave that re-awakens all ''kinds'' of booby traps and leftover followers Ivo Shandor left behind.

* [[TheLegionsOfHell Sammael]] is mystically imprisoned inside a sepulcher, on display at the Machen Library of Paranormal Artifacts in ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}''.

* In ''OceansEight'', the heist is set at the Met during an exhibit on European royal jewelry. The target is the Toussaint, around Daphne's neck, [[spoiler: but Debbie and Lou set up a heist inside a heist to steal the exhibit pieces as well]].

->'''Lady Holiday:''' He’s not to be trusted. I wouldn’t put it past him to steal my most valuable and largest jewel, the fabulous Baseball Diamond […] on permanent display at the Mallory Gallery.\\
'''Miss Piggy:''' Why are telling me all this?\\

In [[TheCaper caper movies]], objects like this are just ''asking'' to be stolen via a MissionImpossibleCableDrop. Rest assured, if a tour group is looking at it in Act One, expect it to be stolen by Act Three. In horror movies, the object will be SealedEvilInACan. In action films, nearly anything is possible: the object might need stealing, or it might be a bomb... it all depends on the plot. Often overlaps with BreakOutTheMuseumPiece.

* The Anubis head and Jewels of Anubis in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0006.jpg]]]]

* In ''The Shattered World'', Beorn's character is introduced when he steals an exotic gemstone which was displayed in this way.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* [[Fanfic/WithStringsAttached The first piece of the Vasyn]] is in New Zork's Museum of Natural History. Since no one there has any idea that the thing has value to anyone besides geologists, or that anyone could possibly steal it—it's 20 feet of solid rock, weighing at least 90 tons—it's not guarded at all.
* The Cloud Horn in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''. Tipaanese security just dares you to try to steal it. The four, who want it, figure out another way to get it.

* The Expel Mirror in ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei: VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' is introduced as the centerpiece of a museum exhibit. It turns out later that you need the mirror in order to fight a boss; however, the only obstacle to the protagonists finding it is that ''going to the museum in the first place is entirely optional, so many players will have no idea where to look for it.'' While Philemon does tell you what you need, you have to make the leap of logic that "artifact = museum" yourself.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Discworld/{{Men At Arms}}'', the Assassins lock up the Gonne, it gets stolen, and the rest of the plot follows from there.

->'''Lady Holliday:''' He’s not to be trusted. I wouldn’t put it past him to steal my most valuable and largest jewel, the fabulous Baseball Diamond […] on permanent display at the Mallory Gallery.\\

'''Lady Holliday:''' It’s plot exposition. It has to go somewhere.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In one ''[[Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians]]'' story, the ''Unaussprechlichen Kulten'', a book of black magic rituals, was put on display as part of a special "Magic and the Occult" exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. Naturally, it was stolen.
[[/folder]]

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Planet of the Dead", Lady Christine de Souza steals the solid gold cup of King Aethelstan from a museum by way of a carefully timed MissionImpossibleCableDrop ''while the heavily armed guards are still in the room''. It probably helped that they didn't even bother putting the cup in a case - it was just sitting out in the open.

[[folder:FanWorks]]

[[folder:Film]]

* [[LivingMacguffin A boy called Kevin]] in Creator/MatthewReilly's ''Area 7''. He's in a carefully monitored glass case, that is in the military's version of out in the open - that is in a very open position in a secret underground labratory. The President goes on a tour of said laboratory, including the case, at the start of the book. That boy is not going to stay in his case for long.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The Expel Mirror in ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei: VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' is introduced as the centerpiece of a museum exhibit. It turns out later that you need the mirror in order to fight a boss; however, the only obstacle to the protagonists finding it is that ''going to the museum in the first place is entirely optional, so many players will have no idea where to look for it.''
** While Philemon does tell you what you need, you have to make the leap of logic that "artifact = museum" yourself.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* In one [[Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians]] story, the ''Unaussprechlichen Kulten'', a book of black magic rituals, was put on display as part of a special "Magic and the Occult" exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. Naturally, it was stolen.
* In the Literature/WhateleyUniverse some people are smart enough to think about this. After Team Kimba stops a team of mutant ninjas raiding the campus, the school has the secret devise the ninjas were carrying, and the headmistress shows them the glass case in the school museum. But it's a hologram of the real thing, which is locked up a lot more securely.
** Still, they pull this trope out at Halloween when the headmistress is fighting Deathlist.

[[/folder]]