For older seeds, pepper seeds, or other varieties that are stubborn I use this method:

Get some coffee filters (the "triangle" shaped ones) and moisten lightly. Place the seeds inside a filter, seal filter in a quart size ziploc, and place it where the temperature will be favorable. I set it on my water heater where the temperature stays around 80 degrees. You can hold the bag up to a light to see if the seeds have sprouted. Once I see a root emerging I transfer the seeds to cells and grow as usual.
This method gets fast results. Pepper seeds sprout in around 3-4 days vs. the usual 10+ if planted in cells.
Keep a close eye on the progress. You don't want to let the roots develop to the point the root hairs penetrate the paper filter.

I think it all depends on what you call old tomato seeds. And yes, I've posted the following here at GW many times.

For seeds less than 5 yo I do nothing. For seeds from maybe 5-10 yo I double sow and for seeds over about 10-12 yo I do the procedure I'll mention below if the seeds are hard to get.

First, if you buy your seeds and you see the packed for date on the pack that means when the seeds were packed, not when they were produced. If you trade seeds, which I don't, there may be no information at all. Only if you save your own seeds would you know the true age of the seeds.

Most of the larger commercial places do germination tests, but not all. PLaces such as Tomato Growers Supply and Sandhill Preservation and a few more do their own germination checks. Sandhill and Glecklers are two places where I know they sell no tomato seeds over 2 yo and there may be others as well.

So, if the seeds are over maybe 10 yo I put the seeds in water to which I've added a few pinches of blue stuff, meaning MG or Peters or the like, or you can use a few drops of liquid fish or seaweed if organic. Soak the seeds for about 24 hours stirring from time to time to be sure the seeds sink. The main problem with older toamto seeds is dehyration.

THen sow the seeds as you normally would in artificial mix and water when needed with a fresh solution as mentioned above. it can take up to a month and often more to see germination and sometimes they never germinate.

I would only do the soaking routine if the variety was one where it would be hard to get more seeds as in a very rare variety. Also, some of us have found that the seeds of heart varieties don't remain viable as long as others.

I almost forgot to mention that the additions I suggested above are to up the nitrate ion concentration b'c it's known to participate in seed germination. I used to use K nitrate and have tried many other methods and years ago settled on the above.

My own personal record is waking up seeds that were 22 yo but the documented record is waking up seeds 50 yo when the Cheyenne station was closed and germplasm moved to the new USDA station in Ames IA where germination tests were done on the tomato seeds which had been stored just in paper envelopes in a file cabinet.

Carolyn