Is there a website that explains in detail how one actually redeems the BTC from a coin? Somewhere we can refer coin recipients to?
+10
Do you mean something more detailed than go to MtGox, click "Add Funds", and choose "Redeem Private Key"?
The alternative involves patching source code and is a billion times more difficult. It's out of reach for the average user.
We'll wait for it. I appreciate Magic the Gathering Online Exchange for their hard work, but then again I'm a geek at heart. I will use their service for what I can, but they are too slow and complex for most people.
Another method is to use StrongCoin to import the mini key and then send those coins somewhere else. Having a website that explains to average joe what Casascius coins are and how to redeem them would be very helpful.
The online services are vital and have a lot of potential, but there needs to be a basic way to import into a simple client.