The title, which was shockingly dropped on Thursday on the back of the phone hacking scandal currently plaguing the publisher, had a run length of 5m.

News International's move appears to have been justified, with copies quickly selling out, although the publisher will not gain financially as it had already pledged all profits from the issue to charity.

The edition focused predominantly on the 168-year history of News of the World, featuring a look back at its front pages, major stories and campaigns.

It also features a full-page editorial, which includes an apology for the situation the newspaper found itself in. It stated: "Quite simply, we lost our way."

Speculation has now started up over the launch date for a "Sun on Sunday" or similar title.

It has been fuelled by News International confirming that the NotW magazine insert Fabulous, which is printed by Prinovis as part of its supplements contract with News International, will continue despite the newspaper's death.

A spokeswoman for the company told PrintWeek that the magazine would now be given away with The Sun although a decision has not been made yet on which day of the week the insert will run.