Should I be concerned?

I recently bought a Jap Metal Slug 3 cart from NCS. Although I'm generally happy with the condition of the casing and cart, I've recently noticed that a few of the metal strips on the cart connector look scratched as if the surface metal is flaking. Since I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, I was wondering whether this problem has any chance of rendering the game defective. Should I have the game replaced because NCS did claim it was brand new?

Test it out first.
It will very likely play great anyway...

Maybe they were from QC testing?