Dark, tiger striped shells are often quoted as a sign of maturity, but colour alone is a weak indicator of viability. Some strains naturally produce pale seeds that germinate perfectly, while old dark seeds can be completely dead inside. A short guide on https://potentthcseeds.com (https://potentthcseeds.com) covers the float test, the pinch test, and why neither replaces simply germinating a few and counting. I stopped judging packs by appearance years ago and have been less frustrated since.