Toby Coggins was born April 12, 1931 in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from high school in Crystal City, Texas in 1950. He then attended Texas A & I in Kingsville for one year, then went into the Army. He spent two years in France during the Korean Conflict. After being discharged from the Army, he went to work with Robert H. Ray Geophysical Company, working in Oklahoma, Texas then in California. On March 12, 1954 he married Nelta Oden. For about thirteen years they lived outside the United States, living in the Middle East and South America. They have 2 sons, Rick and Bret. When the Coggins moved back to Crystal City, Toby partnered with his brother, Speed, in Coggins Oil Company and partnered with Speed and their mother, Bess Thoreen, raising cattle on the family's ranch.

Toby and Nelta have been collecting antiques for years. About 15 years ago, Toby became interested in restoring the beauty to old broken and patched dough bowls. He works with the wood, patches the cracks, then covers his patch with hammered copper. If he can save a patch that is originally on the bowl, then he does but, it is very rare to find them with a good patch. Toby only works on old items and that is mostly old bowls and saddles.