When any notice of a sale of real property is required by law to be published in any newspaper, an affidavit of the publisher of such paper, or of his agent, annexed to a printed copy of such notice taken from the paper in which it was published, may be filed at any time within 6 months after the last day of such publication, with the county clerk of the county in which the premises sold are situated, or if such sale were made in pursuance of the order of any judge of probate or circuit court, such affidavit may be filed with such judge of probate or with a clerk of such circuit court, as the case may be.