Old seeds question

[Cornbelt]

I haven't had too much luck growing stuff with seeds more than 2 or 3 yrs old. But this year I planted some Indian corn that was every bit of 10 yrs old, and just about all of it came up. It wasn't in a seed packet, it was on the cob, so it's not a hybrid or it wouldn't have had such complete germination.  The question is: Does hybrid seed go to pot sitting on a shelf quicker than non-hybrid ?

[rzwieg]

From my experience the larger the seed is the longer its storage life. I don't know about hybrid vs open pollinating.

[Rustyinfla]

   The place where I buy seed in bulk by the scoop in my home town always tells me as a  mater of course when I buy seeds to be sure to put the unused portion in the freezer for safe keeping. they claim they'll last up to three years and still have a good germination rate. I told my mom that who is an old Florida Cracker, She said her father always kept his seeds in the freezer also saying that when a seed comes out of the freezer it think it has come out of dormancy.

[SDS-GEN]

A lot of it depends on the species of plant.  Wheat has been found in tombs in Egypt that pre-dates Christ and it still germinates.  "Heirloom" seeds often have a longer shelf life than hybrids.