  There is renewed interest in rare-earth elements and gadolinium in particular
for a range of studies in coupling physics and applications. However, it is
still apparent that synthesis impacts understanding of the intrinsic magnetic
properties of thin gadolinium films, particularly for thicknesses of
topicality. We report studies on 50nm thick nanogranular polycrystalline
gadolinium thin films on SiO2 wafers that demonstrate single-crystal like
behavior. The maximum in-plane saturation magnetization at 4K was found to be
4{\pi}MS4K = (2.61{\pm}0.26)T with a coercivity of HC4K = (160{\pm}5)Oe. A
maximum Curie point of TC = (293{\pm}2)K was measured via zero-field-cooled -
field- cooled magnetization measurements in close agreement with values
reported in bulk single crystals. Our measurements revealed magnetic
transitions at T1 = (12{\pm}2)K (as deposited samples) and T2 = (22{\pm}2)K
(depositions on heated substrates) possibly arising from the interaction of
paramagnetic fcc grains with their ferromagnetic hcp counterparts.
