Thanks for the vote of confidence. I chose 6 varieties and am trying the coffee filter method to see if anything happens. Could be an interesting experiment!

Keep us updated, I think you should have some sprout and it will be interesting to see.

Hmm, I was under the impression that the lifespan of seeds is about 3 years. If you get even 1 to germinate, I'd be thrilled to hear about it.

"The seeds should remain viable for 2 -5 years."

http://ushotstuff.com/Growing.Tips.htm

Some very well diluted water soluble fertilizer helps with the old seeds. Also I would soak them in the solution for about 3 to 5 days see if any sink. Also the long soak will help to soften the shell, and give the sprout more of a chance of pushing out of the shell.

Good luck.

I will update if I get anything to sprout. It's still a few weeks early in my zone to start peppers, so I've got time for another trial if nothing happens.

What I've started:

Sriracha

Hot Paprika

Aji Amarillo

Guajillo

Chi-Chien

Trinidad Bird -- this one I can't find much info on. Has anyone grown this before? I'm guessing this is super hot?

Trinidad Bird -- this one I can't find much info on.> Backyard_Gardner

i doubt you'll have much success with 20 yr old seeds, but nothing wrong with trying to see the odds. if the seeds were stored in a cool dry place then they might be viable for many decades.

How did this experiment turn out...?

I tried a few methods (coffee filter, standard seed starting mix, water soaking), but no germination. I didn't have high hopes, but thought I might get lucky with one or two. I may try again next season using the fertilizer soaking. For now I'm focusing my efforts on my fresh pepper seedlings, which are doing well.

Sorry to read you didn't have any luck. I'd try again with some different varieties. I had some old seeds (granted they were from 2009 - 2011) that I tried this year. A little better than half germinated. However, it took as long as a month for seeds to germinate.