@ acoindr - One possible solution to the trust problem might be to give out very small amounts for free, sort of like an offline faucet and as as people redeem them they'll see that they're redeemable. Alternately, people could check feedback on eBay and the like.
That would just show people the ones released were redeemable. If someone was running a scam of course they would make the trap look like it wasn't a trap
The value of every single bill (or whatever) could not be questioned, otherwise people wouldn't accept the value of it, which is a key requirement for something being money. I think the best way to do it is like Casascius and attach a verifiable identity to the addresses used - someone to hold accountable.