The tires are something that hasn't really been mentioned other than in the two posts I quoted above. At least one of them has been replaced. You have a Davis Deluxe on the front, and a Sears Allstate on the rear. I do not know what tires the bike would have originally been equipped with, but I would say the rear tire has been replaced, as I highly doubt Monark would have put an Allstate tire on a Firestone bike.
This does not help with determining whether or not the paint is original, but does point to the possibility of the bike having been ridden, and not NOS.
View attachment 1024467
View attachment 1024468
Regarding this pedal, yes the missing chunk is damage, not wear. But, there is clearly wear in addition to the missing chunk. Both blocks show wear, but especially the one across from the missing chunk.
While it is a nice pedal aside from the one block, there is no question that this is most definitely a used pedal.
View attachment 1024469
I suppose it is possible, that the rest of the bike is NOS, aside from the pedals and at least one of the tires. It's possible someone found the NOS bike without pedals, and added them, and replaced a tire to get it riding.
I'm still wondering about the paint though, specifically the beige stripes and lettering, all having fuzzy edges like it was taped off. The paint just doesn't have a factory look to it, and personally I think it looks like an older, quality restoration done maybe 20-30 years ago.
Either way it is a great looking bike, and what matters most is that you are happy with it, which it sounds like you are.