diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index c7ff2e5..2787331 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ pub enum Error {
     /// [`AnyUserData`]: struct.AnyUserData.html
     /// [`UserData`]: trait.UserData.html
     UserDataBorrowMutError,
+    /// A `RegistryKey` produced from a different Lua state was used.
+    MismatchedRegistryKey,
     /// A Rust callback returned `Err`, raising the contained `Error` as a Lua error.
     CallbackError {
         /// Lua call stack backtrace.
@@ -142,6 +144,9 @@ impl fmt::Display for Error {
             Error::UserDataTypeMismatch => write!(fmt, "userdata is not expected type"),
             Error::UserDataBorrowError => write!(fmt, "userdata already mutably borrowed"),
             Error::UserDataBorrowMutError => write!(fmt, "userdata already borrowed"),
+            Error::MismatchedRegistryKey => {
+                write!(fmt, "RegistryKey used from different Lua state")
+            }
             Error::CallbackError { ref traceback, .. } => {
                 write!(fmt, "callback error: {}", traceback)
             }
diff --git a/src/lua.rs b/src/lua.rs
index 8d53b90..d8dd809 100644
--- a/src/lua.rs
+++ b/src/lua.rs
@@ -504,11 +504,9 @@ impl Lua {
     /// value previously placed by `create_registry_value`.
     pub fn registry_value<'lua, T: FromLua<'lua>>(&'lua self, key: &RegistryKey) -> Result<T> {
         unsafe {
-            lua_assert!(
-                self.state,
-                Arc::ptr_eq(&key.drop_list, &(*self.extra()).registry_drop_list),
-                "Lua instance passed RegistryKey created from a different Lua"
-            );
+            if !Arc::ptr_eq(&key.drop_list, &(*self.extra()).registry_drop_list) {
+                return Err(Error::MismatchedRegistryKey);
+            }
 
             stack_err_guard(self.state, 0, || {
                 check_stack(self.state, 1);
@@ -528,25 +526,25 @@ impl Lua {
     /// `create_registry_value`. In addition to manual `RegistryKey` removal, you can also call
     /// `expire_registry_values` to automatically remove values from the registry whose
     /// `RegistryKey`s have been dropped.
-    pub fn remove_registry_value(&self, mut key: RegistryKey) {
+    pub fn remove_registry_value(&self, mut key: RegistryKey) -> Result<()> {
         unsafe {
-            lua_assert!(
-                self.state,
-                Arc::ptr_eq(&key.drop_list, &(*self.extra()).registry_drop_list),
-                "Lua instance passed RegistryKey created from a different Lua"
-            );
+            if !Arc::ptr_eq(&key.drop_list, &(*self.extra()).registry_drop_list) {
+                return Err(Error::MismatchedRegistryKey);
+            }
 
             ffi::luaL_unref(self.state, ffi::LUA_REGISTRYINDEX, key.registry_id);
             // Don't adding to the registry drop list when dropping the key
             key.registry_id = ffi::LUA_REFNIL;
+            Ok(())
         }
     }
 
     /// Returns true if the given `RegistryKey` was created by a `Lua` which shares the underlying
     /// main state with this `Lua` instance.
     ///
-    /// Other than this, methods that accept a `RegistryKey` will panic if passed a `RegistryKey`
-    /// that was not created with a matching `Lua` state.
+    /// Other than this, methods that accept a `RegistryKey` will return
+    /// `Error::MismatchedRegistryKey` if passed a `RegistryKey` that was not created with a
+    /// matching `Lua` state.
     pub fn owns_registry_value(&self, key: &RegistryKey) -> bool {
         unsafe { Arc::ptr_eq(&key.drop_list, &(*self.extra()).registry_drop_list) }
     }
diff --git a/src/tests.rs b/src/tests.rs
index cd10d89..cbad78c 100644
--- a/src/tests.rs
+++ b/src/tests.rs
@@ -586,13 +586,15 @@ fn test_lua_registry_ownership() {
 }
 
 #[test]
-#[should_panic]
 fn test_mismatched_registry_key() {
     let lua1 = Lua::new();
     let lua2 = Lua::new();
 
     let r = lua1.create_registry_value("hello").unwrap();
-    lua2.remove_registry_value(r);
+    match lua2.remove_registry_value(r) {
+        Err(Error::MismatchedRegistryKey) => {}
+        r => panic!("wrong result type for mismatched registry key, {:?}", r),
+    };
 }
 
 // TODO: Need to use compiletest-rs or similar to make sure these don't compile.